Emanuel County Resident Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy Fraud

STATESBORO, GA—Edward J. Tarver, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced today that Emanuel County resident JACK M. WILLIAMSON, JR. pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge B. Avant Edenfield at the U.S. Courthouse in Statesboro, Georgia, in connection with bankruptcy fraud during Williamson’s petition for bankruptcy in 2007. Williamson pled guilty to the fraudulent concealment of property in a bankruptcy proceeding, in violation of federal law.

Williamson filed for Chapter 12 Bankruptcy in the Southern District of Georgia on July 26, 2007. Chapter 12 of the United States Bankruptcy Code governs farmers in bankruptcy proceedings. Evidence presented during Williamson’s guilty plea revealed that Williamson repeatedly made false statements and material misrepresentations regarding his income and assets in his bankruptcy documents which were signed under oath. The evidence further showed that Williamson made numerous false statements in an effort to defraud both the bankruptcy court and his creditors in order to pocket sizeable sums of money.

Williamson faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Williamson remains on bond pending his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

United States Attorney Edward Tarver recognized the extensive cooperative efforts of the U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee and Federal Bureau of Investigation in bringing this criminal activity to light. He praised particularly the tireless efforts of U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee Matthew E. Mills, who referred the criminal matter to the United States Attorney’s Office. According to Tarver, “Bankruptcy fraud will not go unnoticed in the Southern District of Georgia. We will continue to diligently work alongside our partner agencies such as the U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee in order to ensure that these crimes are uncovered and prosecuted.”

Assistant United States Attorney Natalie Lee prosecuted the case. For further information, please contact James D. Durham, First Assistant United States Attorney, at (912) 201-2547.