FISHERS, Ind. — A Fishers woman is facing charges for forging the signature of a federal judge and wire fraud.
Christi Dodd, 51, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Southern District of Indiana in January 2015. According to the DOJ, a federal bankruptcy judge issued a signed discharge order three months later releasing Dodd from liability for any remaining debts not resolved in the bankruptcy proceedings.
Dodd filed again for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in December 2019, but ended up moving to have the case dismissed. In June 2022, the bankruptcy court dismissed Dodd's 2019 bankruptcy petition. The DOJ said the court "didn't issue a discharge order" in the 2019 case, and none of Dodd's unpaid debts were resolved.
According to the DOJ, Dodd allegedly created and forged a discharge order in 2023 and emailed it 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 DOJ said the forged order had the heading, “DISCHARGE OF DEBTOR IN A CHAPTER 13 CASE” and, as alleged in the indictment, was created by Dodd using the discharge order from her first bankruptcy and had the forged signature of the judge who issued the 2015 discharge order.
Dodd faces up to 25 years in federal prison if she's convicted.
“Protecting the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system is an important priority of the Department of Justice. 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,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
“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 and the Southern District of Indiana Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group is investigating this case.
