Two Louisiana business owners were convicted by a federal jury of concealing assets during their bankruptcy and making false statements under penalty of perjury. According to the testimony, Brian and Debra Spurin filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in September 2005 and submitted various bankruptcy schedules and a statement of financial affairs, all signed as true and correct under penalty of perjury.
However, they failed to disclose real property as required, nor did they list all of the businesses they established and had an interest in, which included Golden Choice Financial, LLC; Golden Athletics Financial Services, LLC; J&S Management and Marketing, Inc.; and International Oil, Gas and Mineral Management, Inc. The assets of these companies were never listed, including the home in which the couple lived in and the vehicles they used.
In total, the couple fraudulently concealed approximately $400,000 worth of assets from the bankruptcy proceeding.
The defendants each face a fine of $250,000, imprisonment for not more than five years, or both, for each count of concealment of bankruptcy estate assets and making a false statement under penalty of perjury.
Bankruptcy trustees are experts at finding undisclosed cash, property, vehicles, boats, jewelry, antiques, and collectibles. If you are caught trying to hide assets, the consequences are big. Your discharge will be denied, and you will be unable to discharge the debts you listed in a subsequent bankruptcy filing. In addition, you can face serious fines, even jail time.
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If you are in financial crisis and considering filing for bankruptcy, contact an experienced Miami bankruptcy attorney who can advise you of all of your options. As an experienced CPA as well as a proven bankruptcy lawyer, Timothy Kingcade knows how to help clients take full advantage of the bankruptcy laws to protect their assets and get successful results. Since 1996 Kingcade & Garcia, P.A. has been helping people from all walks of life build a better tomorrow. Our attorneys’ help thousands of people every year take advantage of their rights under bankruptcy protection to restart, rebuild and recover. The day you hire our firm, we will contact your creditors to stop the harassment. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade & Garcia website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.