NEW ORLEANS -Craig Joseph Hattier of Covington, La., was sentenced June 24 to serve 12 months and one day in prison and ordered to pay full restitution of $116,500, for concealing bank accounts from creditors during his Chapter 7 bankruptcy case, United States Trustee Janice Chenier Taylor announced today.

Hattier's sentence, handed down by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, included enhancements for abuse of a judicial order, for more than minimal planning, and for the large dollar amount involved.

Hattier, an attorney, knowingly concealed from the bankruptcy trustee two bank accounts in the name of Angel Builders Inc., through which he made deposits and wrote checks. Hattier filed for bankruptcy on Dec. 5, 1990.

The fraud was brought to the attention of the United States Trustee by the private bankruptcy trustee administering the case. The United States Trustee referred the case to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney's Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephen A. Higginson.

United States Attorney Eddie J. Jordan Jr. filed charges against Hattier on July 25, 1997. Hattier pleaded guilty Oct. 2, 1997, to a violation of 18 USC 152, which prohibits the concealment of assets in a bankruptcy case.

The United States Trustee Program is a component of the Justice Department that supervises the administration of bankruptcy cases nationwide. The Program's duties include referring bankruptcy fraud cases to the United States Attorney's Office for prosecution, and assisting in the prosecution of such cases.

Janice Chenier Taylor serves as United States Trustee for Louisiana and Mississippi.

Contact: Janice Chenier Taylor
United States Trustee, Region 5
(504) 589-4018