Man Admits Cheating Homeowners in Scheme
A Los Angeles man pleaded guilty Tuesday to bankruptcy fraud as part of a scheme in which he cheated lenders and homeowners who retained him to stave off foreclosures and evictions.
Gilfert W. Jackson, 52, also pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to a bankruptcy court. He was originally charged with 15 counts.
He faces up to 10 years behind bars when he is sentenced June 29, said Assistant U.S. Atty. David C. Marcus.
In the plea agreement Jackson signed last week, he admitted illegally obtaining money and property “by filing more than 200 fraudulent bankruptcy petitions” from 1992 to 1997, Marcus said.
Authorities said Jackson approached homeowners or renters facing foreclosure and eviction and offered his “expert services,” for which he charged thousands of dollars in some cases, Marcus said.
Jackson then filed involuntary bankruptcies for his clients, sometimes forging signatures and listing fictitious debts as reasons for insolvency, Marcus said.
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