Winfield Attorney Convicted of Bankruptcy Fraud

HUNTINGTON, WV—Yesterday, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts against a Winfield, West Virginia attorney. Patrick B. Anderson, 54, was found guilty of a two-count indictment charging him with bankruptcy fraud. Anderson, who is scheduled to be sentenced on August 16, 2010, faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a $500,000 fine.

According to evidence presented at trial, in early 2007, Anderson, an attorney practicing bankruptcy law in Winfield, advised a married couple to transfer real property out of their names before filing bankruptcy for the purpose of concealing their ownership interest from their creditors. On April 30, 2007, Anderson filed a deed at the Putnam County Courthouse transferring the couple’s property to their daughter. The next day, on May 1, 2007, Anderson filed the couple’s Chapter 7 Voluntary Petition in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and failed to disclose the transfer. The jury convicted Anderson of Count One of the indictment for devising a scheme to defraud the couple’s creditors, the Bankruptcy Court and the trustee. The jury also convicted Anderson of Count Two, which charged him with the fraudulent transfer and concealment of the couple’s property.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas C. Ryan and Monica L. Dillon handled the prosecution.