Former Midland Businessman Pleads Guilty to Defrauding U.S. Bankruptcy Court

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that in Midland this morning, 49-year-old David Alberto Montealegre, owner of Computron USA , Inc., pleaded guilty to defrauding the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. As a result, Montealegre faces up to five years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.

On December 8, 2004, Montealegre filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas listing $128,275 in assets, approximately 80 creditors and $905,051.93 in liabilities. In March 2005, Montealegre received a final discharge of more than $1.2 million in liabilities.

Appearing before United States Magistrate Judge David Counts, Montealegre admitted that in his bankruptcy petition, he failed to disclose a $84,531.25 insurance payment for a damage claim to his property, the sale of a tour bus for $58,863.88, as well as the fact that he owned a home in Guadalajara, Mexico. He also admitted to failing to identify approximately a dozen bank accounts which he used to conceal assets from the U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee and creditors.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Bankruptcy Trustee. Assistant United States Attorney Austin Berry is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.