Developments

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty After Faking Death and Stealing an Identity in Bankruptcy Fraud Scheme

05/07/20

A Virginia man who lied about his own death to hide assets from the bankruptcy court and later fraudulently assumed the identity of an attorney from Florida to further the scheme, pleaded guilty to a series of crimes in federal court yesterday.  Russell Geyer pleaded guilty to contempt of court, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and bankruptcy fraud.  His sentencing is scheduled for August 6th.  This local news report contains many

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Permanent U.S. Resident Loses 3rd Deportation Appeal Following Bankruptcy Fraud Conviction

04/30/20

Joe Guidice, who starred with his wife Teresa on the Bravo reality show "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," was denied a 3rd deportation appeal and will remain in Italy where he traveled following his release from prison on a conviction for bankruptcy fraud.  In 2014, Guidice pled guilty to bankruptcy fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.  A permanent resident of the United States who was born in Italy but never became a citizen, Guidice was ordered to be deported following his 41 month prison term.  For a while, he chose to stay in t

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Kansas Real Estate Developer Acquitted of More Than 100 Counts of Bankruptcy Fraud

04/28/20

A federal jury in Topeka acquitted local real estate developer Kent Lindemuth of 103 counts of bankruptcy fraud, one count of perjury and six counts of money laundering in one of the biggest bankruptcy fraud cases of the year.  The indictment was announced here.  The charges arose primarily from allegations that Lindemuth failed to disclose more than 100 firearms purchased during the pendency of his chapter 11 case.  Additional bankruptcy

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Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison in Mortgage Rescue Scheme

03/17/20

In a case we reported on here, Aston Wood of Wisconsin and Florida was sentenced today to 12 years imprisonment for his role in a mortgage rescue scheme that defrauded more than 70 homeowners in Wisconsin of approximately $390,000.  Wood was able to collect mortgage payments from homeowners for months, even years, by falsely reassuring them that their payments were going to their mortgage lenders and that new loans were

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California Real Estate Developer Sentenced Following Plea to Withholding Documents and Concealing Assets

02/21/20

William Garlock, a 70 year old real estate developer in California, was sentenced on February 18th to one year and one day imprisonment, a $150,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and 100 hours of community service for concealing assets in a bankruptcy case.  Garlock pleaded guilty to a superceding indictment charging him with one count of fraudulently withholding recorded information and one count of concealing assets in a bankruptcy case.

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Former Mall Owner Sentenced for Fraudulently Concealing Rents in Chapter 11 Case

02/16/20

The managing member of a company that operated the Middleton Mall in Fairmont, West Virginia was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for bankruptcy and tax fraud.  Deitrich S.

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Americore CEO Invokes 5th Amendment Privilege in Deposition Amid Accusations of Mismanagement

02/15/20

Grant White, CEO of Americore Holdings LLC, invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination during a deposition Thursday before the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in his Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.  Americore and its affiliated hospitals filed for chapter 11 protection in the Eastern District of Kentucky in December, 2019.  The United States Trustee earlier filed a motion for the appointment of a chapter 11 trustee or an examiner.  The motion alleged that White was mismanaging the company, had lied to the bankruptcy court, w

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Ponzi Scheme Operator Sentenced Following Guilty Plea to Bankruptcy Fraud

02/13/20

The operator of a sophisticated work-at-home email scheme was sentenced in U.S.

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City Payroll Clerk Charged with Filing Fraudulent Document in Chapter 13 Case

01/31/20

As reported in the news, a city payroll clerk was indicted in the Southern District of Alabama on charges that she falsified city records and altered check stubs to make it falsely appear that payroll deductions were being made to properly fund her chapter 13 plan payments, according to the indictment.  Sheila Milner Jackson was charged with filing a fraudulent document in a b

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Connecticut Man Sentenced In Identify Theft and Bankruptcy Fraud Scheme

01/23/20

A Connecticut man was sentenced to two years in prison for his involvement in a bankruptcy fraud scheme in which he stole the identity of a victim, incurred more than $200,000 in loans and lines of credit in her name, and then filed a bankruptcy petition to discharge the debt.  The defendant, Joel C. Riley, was also sentenced to make restitution in the amount of $211,142 and to a three year term of supervised release. 

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