Waverly Man Sentenced to Federal Prison Term for Concealing Assets in a Bankruptcy Proceeding
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 21, 2012 |
SPRINGFIELD, IL—Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Mills today sentenced Trevor W. Casper, 39, of Waverly, Illinois, to a term of 12 months and one day in federal prison for concealing assets in a bankruptcy proceeding. The federal Bureau of Prisons will advise Casper of his report date and designated institution.
On November 15, 2011, Casper, of the 3300 block of Panhandle Road, waived indictment and pled guilty to an information charging him with a single count of concealing assets. Casper admitted that in November 2007, when he filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition, he claimed $3,000 as the value of his household goods and furnishings. After a fire destroyed his home and its contents in January 2008, Casper admitted that he filed an insurance claim in May 2008 and claimed $240,000 as the actual cash value and replacement value of the contents of his house at the time of the fire.
According to court documents, a personal property sheet that Casper submitted to the insurance company listed items not contained in the bankruptcy petition, and most, if not all, of the items listed in the bankruptcy petition were substantially less than the value of the same items listed in the personal property sheet. Further, Casper admitted that the bankruptcy petition did not include a 1997 Ford F-150 truck and a trailer. The insurance company contested the fire claim and at a deposition, Casper admitted to the insurance company that he had not listed all his personal property in the bankruptcy petition.
The charges resulted from a referral by the U.S. Trustee for Indiana and Central and Southern Illinois (Region 10) and an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in coordination with the Central Illinois Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Trustee Program is the component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. Region 10 is headquartered in Indianapolis, with additional offices in South Bend, Indiana and Peoria, Illinois.