Since according to my website the most popular blog I have written ever on this site is about the Real Housewives of New Jersey Joe and Teresa Guidice's alleged bankruptcy fraud. I will give you a short update and write another one. On last weeks episode which my wife watches every week the Guidices met with their Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorney. Their bankruptcy attorney explained to the couple that Teresa was absolved by the court of any wrongdoing on the mortgage that Joe admitted that he forged his ex-partners signature on to get it off the chain of title. Joe even says, maybe I should of lied. Well sorry Joe, thats what you already did and you got caught and bankruptcy court didn't believe you had authorization to sign for your partner and that he authorized you to sign for him. That debt owed to Joe's former partner was deemed to be non-dischargeable by the bankruptcy court as to Joe Guidice only not Teresa. Good news or maybe some good news was that their scheduled public auction of their home contents was cancelled by the bankruptcy court. It would appear that Teresa ponied up some funds to by the furniture back from the bankruptcy estate and the Judge approved a private sale back to them. However, two other trials remain according to this article, as well as numerous other criminal matters for Joe. The two other trials are for objections to discharge by both the Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee, and the United States Trustee under 11 U.S.C. 727. Those trials are expected to be sometime next year. Certainly as I stated before in the prior blog these trials will be in the news, and if the Guidices lose then criminal charges may and probably will come after that.

Bankruptcy fraud is a serious crime and can result in a $250,000 fine and up to five years in jail. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigates bankruptcy fraud and the Department of Justice's United States Trustee Division prosecutes it. When a potential client comes into my office and asks what do I have to list in my bankruptcy petition. I say everything all assets and all liabilities. A Chicago bankruptcy attorney such as myself or any bankruptcy attorney for that matter must have the debtor sign a disclosure under 527 (a) (2) that says just that. I explain that disclosure among the others to each and every client. Anything less than explaining how serious bankruptcy fraud is would not be doing by job. If you are suffering from overwhelming debt and there is no end in sight please call my office for a free consultation at 312-924-0227.

Marc