Developments

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Ohio denied a request by John W.

Updating an earlier post (here) on Anthony Levandowski's request for bankruptcy court approval to retain special criminal counsel in his chapter 11 bankruptcy case, it appears that U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Hannah L. Blumenstiel approved the retention.  According to the docket in In re Anthony Scott Levandowski, Case No.

A serial bankruptcy filer was criminally referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Texas in connection with an alleged and convoluted series of bankruptcy filings in his own and his ex-wife's name in order to stay pending foreclosure proceedings.  U.S.

The Third Circuit recently remanded the case of a bankruptcy fraud defendant for re-sentencing on the ground that the district court failed adequately to explain how it applied the statutory sentencing factors in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a) and failed to explain it's ruling on the defendant's objection to the restitution amount.  The unpublished decision in United States v. Jackson, No. 19-1579 (3rd Cir. March 30, 2020) (slip op.) (here).

The criminal trial of Natalie Cochran, who is accused of operating a Ponzi scheme with her late husband, was postponed today in the Southern District of West Virginia at least partially due to COVID-19.  Cochran was indicted on multiple counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, unlawful monetary transactions, bankruptcy fraud, and making a false oath in bankruptcy.  The trial was scheduled to begin later this month.  A new trial date is set for July 21.