Michael Willhoit, who owns The African Queen, one of Springfield's most unusual homes, is the apparent target of a federal grand jury investigation looking into possible bank fraud.

According to a search warrant application, Willhoit has failed to repay five different banks a total of $4.25 million.

The warrant states that "grand jury subpoenas were sent to numerous financial institutions."

Willhoit has not been charged with a crime.

But he and his wife, Lisa, and their business — Willhoit Enterprises, which sold high-end exotic cars such as Porsches — have been sued by several area banks that allege they were defrauded.

In May, a Greene County judge awarded Wood & Huston Bank $1.42 million from the Willhoits.

The bank had sued, alleging, like other banks that have not received a judgment, that Willhoit took out loans to buy cars that he planned to sell.

According to the search warrant, the investigation involves about 33 expensive vehicles.

Willhoit has declined several requests from the News-Leader for comment.

Until May, he had leased office space at Premier Sports Cars, 1950 E. Chestnut Expressway.

On Wednesday, he hung up the phone on a News-Leader reporter. Later that day, the reporter went to Motorcars International, 3015 E. Cairo St., where Willhoit apparently now has an office.

He again said he did not want to talk.

As of this month, Willhoit's wages at Motorcars International have been garnished by Wood & Huston, according to court records.

"Trust me on this; I am a master marketer"

Willhoit apparently still lives in The African Queen, according to documents.

The house, named by Willhoit after the 1951 movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, had been scheduled to be sold at foreclosure Nov. 13.

The potential sale was halted by legal action from a creditor.

Lisa Willhoit, according to public documents, filed for personal bankruptcy Nov. 13, listing as her main joint asset the house on Lone Pine and its many expensive, African-themed accessories and furniture.

She places a value of $3,751,571 on the house and its personal property.

In January 2016, Michael Willhoit had listed the house for sale for $15 million.

But when he was interviewed by the News-Leader, he said he really wasn't interested in selling.

At the time, he told the News-Leader he didn't plan on selling the house and that the listing — which he posted on his business website — would somehow help him sell more cars.

The house has two bedrooms and two bathrooms and is 3,300 square feet. It also has a creek running beneath it, and one of the rooms has a glass floor.

He said in 2016: "Trust me on this, Steve, I am a master marketer."

According to Lisa Willhoit's bankruptcy filing, some of the personal property in the house includes:

Two roaring lion masks

Two 7-foot tall hand-carved wooden tusks

An eight-legged genuine impala horn zebra-hide chair

A 15-foot African warrior statue

A 3,000-pound (approximately) bronze rhino

Four gazelle taxidermy mounts

A baboon, full-body mount

Lisa Willhoit moved into a Springfield apartment earlier this year and now works a service-industry job, according to court records.

She lists her debts at $1 million to $10 million — including $47,952 owed to the Missouri Department of Revenue — and she states she was 25 percent owner of Willhoit Enterprises.

She also lists Michael Willhoit as co-debtor.

According to the search warrant, the FBI interviewed Lisa Willhoit on Aug. 7.

"She stated that Willhoit was broke, had no cars in his possession, and had effectively shut down Willhoit Enterprises.

"After Willhoit moved out of the 1950 Chestnut Expressway location, where he could no longer afford to pay rent, he stored all material, including files, records, and computer equipment, associated with the business in the spare bedroom of their home.

"Lisa Willhoit stated that Michael Willhoit had spent a considerable amount of time during the last several weeks going through records and files, and throwing some materials away."

It's the bank's fault, Willhoit says in lawsuit

Although Michael Willhout has declined to talk to the News-Leader, his attorneys mounted a defense in one of the lawsuits filed against him by creditors.

Freedom Bank of Southern Missouri sued Willhoit, who countered that the bank was negligent and at fault for not reinforcing loan-agreement terms.

The Willhoits argued that the bank "unreasonably delayed the enforcement of its rights under the loan documents."

"Plaintiff knew or should have known that Defendants had similar financing arrangements with other secured lenders and that the proceeds from the sale of automobiles by Defendants were being used to pay the debts and operating expenses in the ordinary course of Defendants’ business," the filing says.

"Plaintiff’s damages, if any, were caused by its own contributory negligence and comparative fault in failing to strictly enforce the terms of the loan documents."

That's not what the search warrant and lawsuits allege.

They contend that not only did Willhoit sell the cars — which were collateral for loans — without repaying the banks, but at times he obtained loans for cars he never possessed.

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He allegedly was able to create duplicate titles — that his creditors consider fraudulent — and in some cases managed to obtain loans for vehicles he never bought and never possessed.

In the search warrant, Special Agent Michael Effland states:

"I have probable cause to believe that evidence of bank fraud, false statement on loan application, money laundering and other criminal statutes is located in and within the property."

Bank fraud and making a false statement on a loan application are punishable by up to $1 million in fines and/or imprisonment up to 30 years.

Money laundering is punishable by a fine up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater, and/or imprisonment up to 20 years.

The search warrant sought computers, hardware, software, passwords, records, documents and electronic data.

It states that it takes time to thoroughly examine electronic data.

"Reviewing that information for things described in the warrant can take weeks or months, depending on the volume of data stored, and would be impractical and invasive to attempt on-site."

In an attempt to find out if the investigation continues, the News-Leader called the FBI spokeswoman in Kansas City.

She said the agency neither confirms nor denies investigations.