Former Bullitt County Master Commissioner Sentenced to 2 Years and 11 Months in Federal Prison for Defrauding Victims

Louisville, KY – The former Bullitt County Master Commissioner was sentenced today to 2 years and 11 months for defrauding two trusts originally held by senior beneficiaries.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the Louisville Field Office made the announcement. 

According to court records, John Anthony Schmidt, 67, an attorney and the Former Bullitt County Master Commissioner, was sentenced to 2 years and 11 months in prison, followed by a 3-year term of supervised release, with a special condition of 100 hours of community service, for one count of wire fraud and two counts of bank fraud. There is no parole in the federal system.

The charges in this case were in connection with Schmidt’s scheme to steal over $435,000 while he was serving as the court appointed trustee for two trusts, the beneficiaries of which relied on Schmidt to manage the trusts’ assets. As part of his scheme, Schmidt stole from the trusts to pay for his own personal expenditures, including to pay debts he incurred to individuals he had represented or purported to represent in the course of his legal practice and to replace missing funds from the Bullitt County Master Commissioner bank account. 

Schmidt was also ordered to pay restitution to multiple victims in the case.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Public Corruption Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Zimdahl prosecuted the case.

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