by Brian Mahany
[reprinted with permission from our sister firm’s site, mahanylaw.com]
There is an old adage that desperate people do desperate things. Don’t believe it? Just ask Scott and Brenda Becker.
Scott Becker was indicted back in 2009 after he allegedly committed bank fraud. In the indictment, prosecutors sought to forfeit any property acquired directly or indirectly with proceeds of the alleged bank fraud. At first the court detained Becker without bail after determining he was a flight risk and had been transferring assets into his wife and daughter’s name and moving them offshore. After much legal maneuvering, Becker was ultimately released on bail.
What happened next? The title of this article says it all!
Less than four months of being released on bail, prosecutors sought to lock up Scott once again and revoke his bail. Prosecutors say that a yacht which had supposedly been given to a yacht broker to sell was really in Belize. When prosecutors asked Becker’s wife, Brenda, questions about hidden assets, Brenda took the 5th and refused to answer questions. The government also learned that Brenda had received $69 thousand from the sale of assets that were subject of a forfeiture hearing.
Ultimately, Scott Becker was again detained and new indictments were issued. What once was a bank fraud case against Scott Becker is now a conspiracy, perjury, wire fraud and money laundering indictment against both parties. Both are in custody and not likely to be released.
The facts of the case are quite fascinating and available for anyone with a PACER or Westlaw account (US v Becker U.S. District Court Kansas).
The lesson here is obvious. Many people attempt to hide assets everyday. The usual reason is to avoid creditors. If the creditor is Uncle Sam and there is a pending forfeiture account, expect to wind up in jail. Quickly.
MahanyLaw is a full service, boutique law firm that concentrates in lawful asset protection. We can’t help you if you want to evade taxes but we can help you protect your hard earned money from unscrupulous creditors and runaway jury awards. Offshore or domestic, we can help craft a plan that gives you peace of mind.
For more information, contact Brian Mahany at (414) 704-6731 or at Asset protection services generally provided through MahanyLaw. Asset recovery and fraud cases are generally handled by Mahany & Ertl, LLC