Tinley Park Man Indicted, Accused of Lying about a Lamborghini, a Viper, 2 Corvettes and 2 Trans Ams

Joseph Campbell loved cars. Fast, expensive, powerful cars.

His garage held the kind of cars featured in the posters most likelty to paper over a teen-aged boy’s bedroom wall: a 2003 Lamborghini; ‘66 and ‘71 Chevrolet Corvettes; ‘78 and ‘89 Pontiac Firebird Trans Ams; a 1997 Dodge Viper; even a 1981 DeLorean.

Campbell, 49, formerly of Tinley Park, loved the muscle cars so much he tried to hide them from his bankruptcy judge. His effort to conceal ownership of all that horsepower, at least $294,000 worth, led to his indictment on Friday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Campbell hid his ownership of the luxury cars from creditors, the bankruptcy court, and the trustee in his 2012 bankruptcy case by failing to disclose them in his bankruptcy petition, according to the information filed in U.S. District Court recently. Campbell is also charged with lying under oath about his ownership of the cars in testimony he provided during a creditors’ meeting, a discovery deposition, and a bankruptcy court hearing.

The crimes of bankruptcy fraud and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or an alternate fine totaling twice the loss or twice the gain, whichever is greater.

Campbell filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in November 2012. He valued his total assets at $67,000, and failed to mention he still owned those expensive cars, the indictment alleges. Prosecutors allege he actually lied under oath about having sold the 1966 Corvette in a February 2013 creditors meeting.

Campbell also secretly sold his Lamborghini for $122,000, according to the indictment. He later told a judge he’d sold all his cars, but prosecutors claim he moved them at night from his Wilmington storage garage to two locations in Lockport to hide them from the bankruptcy trustee.

» read more via the indictment

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