Newfoundland Woman Indicted For Bankruptcy Fraud

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Linda Ferris, age 55, of Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, was indicted on March 20, 2018, by a federal grand jury for knowingly filing false bankruptcy documents and hiding assets during her bankruptcy case. 

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the indictment alleges that Ferris filed for bankruptcy in July 2013 and did not disclose all of her assets to the bankruptcy court. The indictment further alleges that prior to a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy hearing in September 2013, Ferris lied on her schedule of assets by hiding some of those assets in a sham mortgage in Florida that was set up less than two weeks before filing for bankruptcy.

The charges stem from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Trustee’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Evan Gotlob is prosecuting the case.           

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.          

The maximum penalty under federal law is 5 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.

# # #