Judge quashes subpoenas from defendants in bank fraud case

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A judge has granted a request by Federal Reserve officials to quash subpoenas served by Wilmington Trust and four former top executives facing criminal bank fraud charges.

Former Wilmington Trust president Robert Harra Jr., former chief financial officer David Gibson, former chief credit officer William North and former controller Kevyn Rakowski face trial in October on charges of fraud, conspiracy and making false statements to federal regulators.

The defendants were seeking a variety of documents involving the Fed’s supervision and monitoring of Wilmington Trust.

But the judge said Tuesday that the document requests went beyond the law’s limited purpose of allowing criminal defendants to access evidence for trial.

Prosecutors say Wilmington Trust officials hid the truth about the bank’s deteriorating commercial real estate loan portfolio before its collapse in 2011.