Mark A. Billingsley, 35, of Whitwell, was sentenced on Thursday, by Curtis L. Collier, U.S. District Court judge, to serve 10 months in federal prison for knowingly and fraudulently making a false statement under oath in his bankruptcy case, by falsely testifying in a proceeding before the U.S. Trustee at a meeting of creditors.
Upon his release from prison, Billingsley will be subject to two years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Billingsley filed a bankruptcy case in June 2012, in the U.S.
Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Chattanooga Division. A meeting of creditors was held in February 2013, and Billingsley testified under penalty of perjury in relation to his bankruptcy proceeding that he was employed at SK Trucking and that SK Trucking had been making withdrawals from his paychecks to pay into his bankruptcy plan.
An investigation by the U.S. Trustee along with the U.S. Secret Service revealed Billingsley’s statements were false and that SK Trucking did not exist. He pleaded guilty in December 2013 to a federal indictment charging him with making a false statement under oath.
Agencies involved in this investigation included the United States Secret Service and the United States Trustee’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Brooks represented the United States.