Oklahoma Man Guilty of False Statement in Bankruptcy For Denying Interest in Real Estate

Michael Fletcher pleaded guilty today to a criminal information charging him with making a false statement in a bankruptcy proceeding.  According to the information and plea agreement, Fletcher filed a bankruptcy petition in August of 2011 in which he stated that he had no legal or equitable interest in any real property.  In November 2011, the Department of Justice commenced an adversary proceeding objecting to the debtor's discharge on ground that Fletcher had concealed his interest in a parcel of real property in Oklahoma.  In October 2014, Fletcher testified during the trial that his parents owned the house on the real estate and that a $235,000 down payment for the purchase was funded by a loan from his daughters to his father.  In pleading guilty Fletcher admitted that he was the source of the funds used for the down payment, and that he lied during his bankruptcy court testimony when he denied that fact.  Fletcher is scheduled to be sentenced in December.