ATLANTA,None — Phillip Swindall, half-brother to disgraced former Rep. Pat Swindall, pleaded guilty Monday afternoon to federal fraud charges.
Swindall once owned Atlanta Chrysler-Dodge, and he admitted in federal court that he took a substantial bank loan to pay for the inventory but never repaid the loan. Swindall also confessed to selling cars over the Internet and taking the customers' money, but never delivering car titles.
Swindall also admitted to stealing the ID of an employee and using it to take out a $175,000 loan. Prosecutors said he used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle.
Swindall's half-brother, Pat, was a U.S. congressman from Georgia in the 1980s until he was accused of money laundering and eventually convicted of perjury. He served a year in federal prison.
Swindall could face more than 50 years in prison and a fine of more than $1 million, but since the guilty pleas are part of an arranged deal, he will probably face considerably less time. A federal judge will sentence Phillip Swindall in September. Until then, he remains out on bond.