The Export Import Bank of the United States backed the transactions, leading some to question whether the bank should exist.

Despite its problems with fraudulent transactions in Mexico, the bank is opening a branch in North Texas.

The sun, the moon and a grove of palm trees.

The man who lives in this posh mansion in Juarez took U.S. taxpayers for $8 million years ago and he's still living high inside.

And despite $213 million of bad loans to Mexican borrowers on the Texas border, the Export Import Bank of the United States is opening a branch in McKinney.

This week the bank introduced itself to small businesses.

"Mexico has been our number one market in terms of U.S. exports," said Pat Crilley.

A News 8 investigation found dozens of loans made to companies with nonexistent identities and addresses and to some people with connections to Mexican drug cartels which leads Congressman Jeb Hensarling to ask: why expand?

"To think they are opening more branch offices to create more waste and possibly more money going to criminal activity is frankly astounding," he said.

Kelly Kemp, who'll run the new office, admits there have been problems.

"There has been a rash of bad debts in the last couple of years," Kemp said.

This is an organization that can't properly account for a couple of hundred million dollars of taxpayers' money which I believe there is very compelling evidence that it's been wated. Some perhaps has gone into criminal activity.

Two months ago, a San Antonio man was convicted of fraud in Export Import transactions.

But dozens of other export import deals that have gone bad have never even been investigated. Congressman Hensarling has called for a congressional investigation. But so far, that hasn't happened.

E-mail bharris@wfaa.com.