A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Christi Lee Dodd, 51, Fishers, with wire fraud and forging the signature of a federal judge.
According to the court documents, Dodd first filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Southern District of Indiana in January 2015. In April 2015, a federal bankruptcy judge issued a signed discharge order releasing Dodd from liability for any remaining debts not resolved in the bankruptcy proceedings.
In December 2019, Dodd again filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in the Southern District of Indiana, but later decided not to proceed and moved to have the 2019 case dismissed. In June 2022, the bankruptcy court dismissed Dodd’s 2019 bankruptcy petition. The court did not issue a discharge order in the 2019 case, and none of Dodd’s unpaid debts were resolved.
In 2023, Dodd allegedly created and forged a discharge order purporting to absolve her of debts related to her 2019 Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition. Dodd emailed the fraudulent document to a financial institution purportedly proving that she had received a discharge in her 2019 bankruptcy case so that she could obtain a line of credit to pay outstanding debts owed by the trucking business she owned.
The emailed document was purportedly filed in Dodd’s second bankruptcy case with the heading, “DISCHARGE OF DEBTOR IN A CHAPTER 13 CASE.” As alleged in the indictment, the forged document was in fact created by Dodd using the discharge order from her first bankruptcy under Chapter 7 and contained the forged signature of the judge who issued the 2015 discharge order.
“Protecting the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system is an important priority of the Department of Justice,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Our office is committed to working closely with our partners at the U.S. Trustee Program to uphold the law and protect the interests of debtors and creditors.”
“The filing of a fraudulent court order containing the forged signature of a bankruptcy judge strikes at the very core of the integrity of the bankruptcy system and will not be tolerated,” said Nancy J. Gargula, United States Trustee for Indiana and the Central and Southern Districts of Illinois (Region 10). “We are grateful for U.S. Attorney Myers and our law enforcement partners for their commitment to protect the integrity of the bankruptcy process in the Southern District of Indiana., as demonstrated by this indictment.”
The FBI and U.S. Trustee’s Office is investigating this case in collaboration with the Southern District of Indiana Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group. The United States Trustee Program is the component of the Department of Justice responsible for overseeing the administration of bankruptcy cases and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. If convicted, Dodd faces up to 25 years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Eakman, who is prosecuting this case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.