Ex-Las Vegas real estate agent gets prison term for bankruptcy fraud
A former Las Vegas real estate agent who filed multiple bankruptcy petitions to avoid paying mortgages on rental properties has been sentenced to 11 months in prison.
Barbara Jean Dennis, 60, also was ordered to serve two years of supervised release after prison and pay $83,000 in restitution.
“As this case demonstrates, the fallout from the housing crisis in Nevada is still impacting federal investigations and prosecutions,” Nevada U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said in a news release on Wednesday. “The prosecution of these cases typically takes years and requires a significant amount of resources. This sophisticated fraud scheme involved mortgage fraud, bankruptcy fraud, 12 properties in two states, and five bankruptcy petitions.”
Dennis pleaded guilty in February to bankruptcy fraud, admitting that she used the automatic stay provision in bankruptcy proceedings to avoid paying the mortgages while collecting rent from her tenants.
She filed three bankruptcy petitions in Nevada and two in Texas between August 2009 and November 2010, according to prosecutors.
The case was investigated by the FBI.
Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Follow @JGermanRJ on Twitter.
