Higgins Sentencing Postponed In Federal District Court
Posted
John DeGroff-
SOUTH BEND - The sentencing hearing of Kristi Arnett-Higgins, Syracuse, has been reset for Jan. 3 at 3 p.m. in the United States District Court of Indiana South Bend Division.
She will go before Judge Robert L. Miller Jr. to learn her fate.
Higgins, also known as Kristi Jo Higgins and Kristi Jo Arnett, pleaded guilty to mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud. In her petition to plead guilty, she also admitted to not being a certified public accountant and not attending law school.
In 2007, Higgins and her husband, Patrick, applied to Country Wide Financial Corporation for a $340,000 loan by greatly inflating the couple's business income. Higgins admitted to this fraud in May 2010 when interviewed by the FBI and Indiana State Police.
Court documents also state that in 2008, Higgins created a series of false federal income tax returns, which greatly inflated the couple's business, Higgins' Sport and Lawn, and their ability to repay the loan.
By 2009, Higgins was attempting to use insufficient funds by check to pay the monthly note on the loan. By January 2010, Zion Bank declared the loan to be in default.
The case against Higgins began when Higgins Powersports allegedly defrauded an individual with a consignment agreement.
The victim in this incident, identified only as JB, agreed to sell a watercraft, two ATVs and a trailer. Higgins told the victim they didn't sell, but when he came to pick them up they were gone.
Higgins followed this up by mailing two separate insufficient funds checks to the the victim in February. To date, no payment has been received by the victim.
Higgins also defrauded National Powersports in Poway, Calif.
Pat Higgins bid in an online auction for three ATVs. They were picked up in Georgia and paid for with an insufficiently funded $15,050 check.
