POLICE NEWS: Woman admits to taking a cut of fees in bankruptcy filings

Aimee Ambrose, Goshen News, Ind.
·2 min read

Feb. 26—A Goshen woman has admitted she talked two people into lying about a service payment as she helped them prepare bankruptcy filings in federal court.

Ronya Phillips, 47, pleaded guilty to two counts of subornation of perjury during a hearing Thursday in the U.S. District Court of Northern Indiana in South Bend.

Phillips admitted that, while working as a bankruptcy petition preparer in the district's bankruptcy court, she convinced two people to lie about the fee they paid her. They had stated they paid her a $150 fee when the amount was really $300, court documents from the plea agreement show.

In one of the cases, a woman stated the false amount on a financial affairs form around May 2016, and then testified to the false amount during a meeting with creditors. Then in November 2017, a man also stated the false fee amount on a financial affairs document, according to the plea documents.

As part of Phillips' plea agreement, eight criminal counts would be dismissed in her case. She also agreed to never work again as a bankruptcy petition preparer in any federal court.

The charges followed an investigation that had stemmed out of a referral by the U.S. Trustee for Indiana and Central and Southern Illinois, the district's federal attorney stated in a news release.

ARREST

Alejandro Silva Valdez, 28, 315 S. 26th St., Goshen, was arrested by Goshen police and jailed on a charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated after police responded to a situation where Silva Valdez's vehicle had become stuck in a yard in the 300 block of Steury Avenue around 10:45 p.m. Thursday.

BURGLARIES

—Thurmond Davis, Goshen, reported to Goshen police several items were stolen during a burglary to his home, 1103 S. Ninth St., sometime between Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

—An employee with North Meadow Plaza reported to Goshen police a storage unit was broken into at the location, 204 Johnston St., around 10:45 a.m. Thursday. The victim was contacted as part of the response, according to police.

FRAUD

—Lloyd Troyer, Middlebury, reported to Elkhart County police Thursday he lost between $32,000 and $50,000 in a scam.

—Oscar Lopez, Goshen, reported to Goshen police he was victimized by a phone scam around 2:35 p.m. Thursday.

THEFTS

—Steven Weaver reported to Elkhart County police an attempt was made to steal the catalytic converter off his vehicle at his home, 60643 Surrey Lane, around 1:10 p.m. Thursday.

—Goshen police received a report about a stolen trash can from a home, 413 N. First St., around 11:25 a.m. Thursday.

BATTERY

Goshen police responded to break up a fight in a parking lot, 356 Stone Drive, around 12:25 a.m. Friday.

HIT-AND-RUN

LaGrange County police contacted Elkhart County police Thursday for assistance in locating suspects involved in a hit-and-run crash in LaGrange County.