Oakland Today Also Indicted on Four Counts of Bankruptcy Fraud

A federal grand jury in Oakland today indicted Sharon Lee Caulder, formerly of Oakland Hills, California, and currently of New Orleans, Louisiana, with four counts of concealing assets in a bankruptcy proceeding, and six counts of failing to file tax returns, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.  Ms. Caulder was originally charged with four counts of bankruptcy fraud on January 29, 2004.  This superceding indictment re-alleges those counts and adds six counts of failure to file tax returns. 

According to the indictment, Caulder is alleged to have received approximately $1.7 million of gross income between the years of 1998 and 2003 for therapeutic services she purportedly rendered to clients in her Oakland practice.  The indictment also alleges that Caulder willfully failed to file tax returns for any of the six years.  Caulder is alleged to have concealed four bank accounts in Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings that resulted in the discharge of approximately $184,000 of debts in 1999. 

Caulder's arraignment is scheduled for April 28, 2005, at 10 a.m. before Magistrate Judge Brazil.

The maximum statutory penalty for each count of concealing assets in a bankruptcy proceeding, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 152(1) is 5 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and restitution, if appropriate.  The maximum statutory penalty for each count of willfully failing to file tax returns, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7203 is 1 year imprisonment, a fine of $100,000, and restitution, if appropriate.  However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.  An indictment only contains allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Caulder must be presumed innocent unless and until convicted.

The prosecution is the result of investigation by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service.   

A copy of this press release and related court filings may be found on the U.S. Attorney's Office's website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.  Related court documents and information may be found on the U.S. District Court website at www.cand.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/.

All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney's Office should be directed to Luke Macaulay at (415) 436-6757 or by email at Luke.Macaulay3@usdoj.gov.

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