Iowa woman sentenced for bankruptcy fraud following FBI investigation
An Iowa woman has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to bankruptcy concealment following an investigation by the FBI.
According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Debra Leisinger, 58, of Sumner in Bremer County admitted as part of a plea agreement in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa that after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in December 2022 she concealed from creditors an inheritance check for $147,969.28.
“As a part of her scheme, Leisinger attempted to discharge over $65,000 in debts that she owed to her creditors but keep her entire inheritance,” the release states. “Ultimately, the United States Trustee discovered Leisinger’s scheme, she waived her Chapter 7 discharge, her bankruptcy was dismissed, her inheritance was applied to repay her creditors, and she was prosecuted federally.”
Leisinger was sentenced on Dec. 21, 2023, to two months in prison and a two-year term of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $5,000 in court fees.
Biong M. Biong is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at bbiong@dmreg.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa woman sentenced for bankruptcy fraud following FBI investigation
