LITTLE ROCK — Federal prosecutors announced a grand jury indictment Wednesday accusing a Clinton couple of bankruptcy fraud.
Richard Helus, 61, and April Helus, 41, are charged with one count each of bankruptcy fraud and six counts each of structuring cash deposits to avoid federal reporting requirements.
If convicted, they could face up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine on each count.
The indictment accuses the couple of concealing from a trustee or other court officer cash belonging to them during a bankruptcy hearing, according to a release from the U.S. attorney’s office in Little Rock.
According to the indictment, the couple withdrew $72,000 from their bank account between Feb. 9, 2009, and April 14, 2009, then filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Sept. 30, 2009, stating that their bank balance was $1,780 and that they had $80 cash on hand.
The indictment said that between Dec. 2, 2009, and Feb. 11, 2010, the Heluses deposited $119,520 in cash into several bank accounts they owned, and concealed the money from the bankruptcy court. The indictment also charges that the couple structured their cash deposits into bank accounts in a manner to avoid federal reporting requirements.
Agents with the criminal division of the IRS assisted in the investigation, U.S. Attorney Chris Thyer said.