Lawrenceville couple pleads guilty to bankruptcy fraud | Crime

A Lawrenceville couple has pled guilty to bankruptcy fraud.

Thomas G. Grogan, 50, and Debra A. Grogan, 54, each pled guilty Friday in United States District Court in Benton to a one count information charging them with fraudulently concealing assets from the United States Trustee during the pendency of their 2009 bankruptcy case in the United States Bankruptcy Court.

The information alleged that the couple, who had filed a bankruptcy petition in which they were seeking to discharge $24,506.00 in debts they owed to various creditors, repeatedly failed to disclose on their petition or to the Trustee that Thomas Grogan expected to receive a settlement of $111,770.05 from a class action lawsuit of which he was a class member related to the pharmaceutical Vioxx.

Thomas and Debra Grogan each face up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised to follow their incarceration of up to three years.   Both are scheduled to be sentenced April 12, 2013, at the United States District Courthouse in Benton.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Office of the United States Trustee.