A police officer for the Village of Dolton, Ill., was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Chicago on bankruptcy fraud charges for allegedly engaging in a scheme to conceal assets and income from creditors and prevent payment of the settlement of a lawsuit.
A nine-count indictment returned this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges Lewis A. Lacey, 61, of Matteson, Ill., with bankruptcy fraud, making false statements and declarations in a bankruptcy case, and perjury. Each count is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. Arraignment has not yet been scheduled.Â
The officials noted that Lacey was indicted as part of an ongoing federal investigation.
According to the indictment, Lacey, since the 1980s, has filed numerous personal bankruptcy cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois, including petitions in 2019 and 2020. The recent petitions automatically stayed enforcement of a settlement agreement Lacey had reached in 2017 with the plaintiff in a lawsuit in state court.Â
The indictment alleges that Lacey filed the 2019 bankruptcy petition shortly after the plaintiff moved to enforce the settlement agreement, accusing Lacey of still owing $43,000 of the $55,000 settlement.
The indictment alleges that Lacey made several materially false and fraudulent representations in oral statements and documents submitted in the bankruptcy cases, including underreporting his monthly income and concealing bank accounts that he controlled.Â
Among other things, Lacey falsely represented that he was separated from his spouse and that she did not reside with him or contribute to his monthly income and mortgage, the indictment states.Â
The false representations allowed Lacey to fraudulently calculate his monthly income to repay his creditors as substantially less than it should have been if his spouse’s contributions were included, the indictment states.
During the charged fraud scheme, Lacey served as a police officer for the Dolton Police Department.
- Former Army Reservist Cody Francis Guilty of Conspiring to Steal Government Funds - September 30, 2024
- Alphonse Bazile, Rayshaud Green Jailed 180 Months for Firearms Offences - September 30, 2024
- Gretna Resident Felix Mackey Sentenced to 192 Months in Prison for Methamphetamine, Cocaine Hydrochloride, Cocaine Base Trafficking - September 30, 2024
