Former USC Star Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy Fraud

Rick Sanford, of Lexington, a former USC Gamecock gridiron great who once terrorized opposing offenses as a defensive back in college and the pros, has been been sentenced by a federal judge for admittedly lying in his 2009 Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing.

The 54-year-old, who runs a chiropractic practice in Irmo, pled guilty Friday in federal court in Columbia to lying about his assets, admitting he had omitted his one-quarter share in a Vail, Colo., condo he had sold for $70,000, U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said in a press release.

As part of his filing in 2009, Sanford was required by law to disclose all his assets. He has since withdrawn his petition and his debts have not been discharged.

For his subterfuge, Sanford could have faced several years in prison and a hefty fine. In return for his guilty plea, Senior U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Perry Jr. sentenced Sanford to two years probation, 30 days of home confinement, and 100 hours of home confinement.

A college All-American in 1978, Sanford made USC history in 1979 when he became the first USC player to ever be selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Sanford played for the New England Patriots and was named to the 1983 All-Pro team. He played his final year in 1985 with the Seattle Seahawks. The play for which he is best remembered is a 1982 interception at Chicago’s Soldier Field that he returned a record 99 yards for a touchdown.

In 1998, Sanford was elected to the S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame.

Once out of football, Sanford parlayed his sports career into a chiropractic practice, which he started in 1990.

By February 2009, when he filed for bankruptcy, Sanford had accumulated assets of $2.1 million and liabilities of $2.8 million, according to papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of South Carolina. At the time, Sanford declared under penalty of perjury that his listing of assets and liabilities was accurate.

"However, three months later, in May 2009, the U.S. trustee in the matter filed a complaint against Sanford, alleging he made misrepresentations about his financial status and that he 'knew or should have known' he didn’t report everything he should have in his original filing," The State reported earlier this year.