Episode Details

Ryan Bloom grew up in a good family in Oklahoma with dreams of becoming a dentist. Life took a different turn and he built an electrical contracting business instead. When the business lost a major contract he turned to a small bank for help — and got pulled into a high interest invoice lending situation that ultimately left him owing over $2 million and forced to declare bankruptcy. Ryan thought everything he was doing was completely legitimate. Then the feds came for him. He was indicted for bank fraud — and discovered the prosecutor had a conflict of interest with the bank. He fought back. He spent almost $500,000 in attorney fees. And he beat the federal government. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Ryan breaks down the complete story — from the business collapse to the bankruptcy to the federal indictment to the courtroom victory that cost him everything financially but gave him his freedom.

_____________________________________________ #fraud #TrueCrime #arrest

_____________________________________________ Connect with Ryan Bloom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rdbloom

_____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/

_____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction and Early Life

01:52 Family Background and Childhood

03:23 College Dreams and Choosing a Career

04:44 Joining and Growing the Family Business

05:46 Family Infighting and Company's Downfall

06:34 New Start in Oil & Gas, Launching Own Business

07:46 Launching Pathfinder HDD and Business Pivot

08:22 Business Growth and Early Successes

09:14 Winning Big Contracts and Facing Setbacks

10:19 Losing Major Contracts and Transitioning to EV

11:16 Cash Flow Issues and Getting Hustled

13:06 Switching to Riskier Clients & Financial Mistakes

14:55 Survival Strategies and Bank Loans

16:46 Entering the Bank's Business Manager Program

19:09 Struggling with Loan Terms and Shrinking Cash Flow

23:32 Business Hits a Wall and Approaching Insolvency

26:00 Personal Consequences & Potential Bankruptcy

28:29 Winding Down Operations and Filing Bankruptcy

31:06 Bankruptcy Process and Asset Liquidation

35:51 Personal Impact and Family Resilience

39:03 Navigating Bankruptcy Exemptions

41:02 Life After Bankruptcy: Rebuilding

44:41 Facing Litigation and Bank's Aggressive Tactics

46:58 Legal Uncertainty and Approaching Discharge

50:02 Arrest by FBI and Shock of Indictment

54:41 Processing the Arrest and Immediate Aftermath

59:30 Public Reaction and Family Support

01:02:44 Beginning the Legal Battle

01:05:12 Prosecution's Case Building and Strange Accusations

01:10:01 Defending Against Fraud Allegations

01:17:01 Legal Strategy and Conflict of Interest

01:21:59 Superseding Indictment and Witness Tampering

01:27:53 Bank's Insurance Claim and Motivations for Prosecution

01:32:00 Preparing for Trial and Hiring Top Defense

01:39:13 Conflict of Interest, Disqualifying the Prosecutor

01:46:07 Case Dismissal and Pre-Trial Diversion

01:50:01 Financial Ruin and Emotional Toll

01:53:02 Life Lessons, Resilience, and Moving On

02:03:40 Advice on Integrity and Closing Thoughts

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