Bankruptcy fraud sweep announced in Southern District of West Virgin...

Four defendants in the Southern District of West Virginia have been charged in separate cases with various bankruptcy crimes in a small fraud sweep that U.S. Attorney Charles T. Miller hopes will "serve as a warning to those who would abuse the [bankruptcy] system."

Victoria Caudill was charged with concealing assets (18 U.S.C. 152(1)), making a false declaration (18 U.S.C. 152(3)) and devising a bankruptcy fraud scheme (157(3)) for allegedly transferring a $60,000 workers' compensation settlement payment to a bank account not in her name and then failing to disclose the account in multiple filings in her bankruptcy case.

Clinton Smith was indicted and charged with concealing assets (18 U.S.C. 152(1)), making a false declaration (18 U.S.C. 152(3)) and devising a bankruptcy fraud scheme (157(3)) for allegedly failing to disclose in his bankruptcy case his interest in an income stream from the sale of a 50 acre parcel of property formerly jointly owned with his then wife.

Jennifer Longwell was charged by indictment with two counts of making a false oath (18 U.S.C. 152(2)) and one count of concealing assets (18 U.S.C. 152(1)) in her bankruptcy case for allegedly not disclosing the proceeds she received from the sale of two parcels of real estate and then giving false testimony at the meeting of creditors concerning the same transactions.

A fourth defendant, Tracy Helms was charged by information with violating 18 U.S.C. 152(1) by allegedly concealing guns and jewelry in her bankruptcy case.