Are Oklahoma officials covering for a state bank used to lure investors into scams?

A clever scam while implemented differently in each situation operates on the same fundamental concept used to take $100s millions of unearned tax credits using loopholes in Oklahoma's Capital Formation Incentive Program. Altus Venture, a subsidiary of FSB Bancorp Altus was one such loophole abuser who gained $66 million in unearned Oklahoma tax credits.

Documentation from a Colorado lawsuit names FSB Bancorp Altus and affiliates as defendants in a multi-million resort area land development scam. This case reveals striking similarities to the financial shell game, reported in several media outlets in early 2006, Altus Venture a FSB Bancorp affiliate used to scam excessive tax credits in Oklahoma. Altus Venture initiated the Colorado scam, then later substituted two other FSB Bancorp affiliates Oasis Development, LLC and FSB Development Capital, LLC. First State Bank Altus is also a FSB Bancorp affiliate. Altus Venture still played a major role after it had been replaced. Altus Venture soon reappeared as a creditor loaning the money it had originally committed to investing. Loaning money in exchange for liens that could later be used to gain control of the other owners property through foreclosure. This tie up the MAPI property preventing the original owners from continuing to sell the property after their associates pulled out on the deal.

The 2006 news article reported Altus Venture (AV), used a similar financial shell game to scam $66 million in Oklahoma income tax credits (which were then sold at half price to corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying state income taxes) to pay its investors $2 for every $1 they invested in AV's $32 million investment in Quartz Mountain Aerospace (QMA) investment fund.

AV's tax credit case is only one of many Oklahoma officials, acting in direct defiance of Oklahoma's Taxpayer Transparency Act, are protecting by refusing to reveal information showing who is involved and how much they are taking in public funds. Information that not only the Oklahoma public has a right to know, but could have prevented the owners of Colorado property from huge losses and costly legal proceedings to recovery their property. According to the AP article Altus Venture, whose president is also president of First State Bank Altus used a $189 million loan to inflate the $32 million to $221 million in order to take $66.3 million in tax credits. Altus Venture only invested at most $32 million (evidence suggests much less) in Quartz Mountain Aerospace, and should have received $9.6 million at most in tax credits.

The obvious question: are Oklahoma officials withholding this information as cover for their own involvement and reaping huge unearned profits?