Reward offered for Kingwood man involved in $16 million loan fraud scheme

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The FBI is hoping a billboard campaign starting Thursday and $5,000 reward from CrimeStoppers will help agents track down a Kingwood man who failed to show up in court after his conviction in a $16 million loan fraud scheme.

Oscar Cantalicio Ortiz, 53, has been on the run since spring, when he cut off his ankle monitor and left it on the side of the road, according to a news release from the FBI.

Ortiz pleaded guilty and was convicted on June 30, 2016 of conspiring to commit bank, mail and wire fraud. He was scheduled to be sentenced on April 24, but did not show up for federal court.

On June 5, he was sentenced in absentia to more than 21 years in a federal prison. He was also ordered to pay nearly $5.5 million in restitution, according to the release.

Clear Channel Outdoor is donating advertising space for digital billboards across the Houston area that will feature Ortiz and the reward offer from CrimeStoppers starting Thursday.

Ortiz last lived in Kingwood and has ties to Argentina and the Dominican Republic. He is fluent in English and Spanish. He last worked at CTP Gaming in Houston, according to the release.

He is 6 feet tall and has a medium-heavy build.

Ortiz drives a silver 2004 Toyota 4-Runner with the Texas license plate CN5V326, according to the release.

Anyone with information can call CrimeStoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or the FBI’s Houston office at 713-693-5000.