Feds file against former prosecutor

SANDUSKY — The federal government wants to reopen a former Erie County assistant prosecutor's bankruptcy case, claiming she made "false oaths and concealments" when filing for bankruptcy. On June 30, an attorney with the U.S. Trustee's office filed a motion to reopen a bankruptcy case for Jeanne Lippert in northern Ohio's U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Lippert filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January and had been granted "discharge" for the debt, meaning no one can take action to collect on the debt, according to court records. Lippert was fired from the prosecutor's office on June 16. At that time, the prosecutor's office withheld some records relating to her termination due to a "probable or pending criminal proceeding." According to the bankruptcy court filing, the Erie County prosecutor's office fired Lippert after they learned she filed an application for unemployment benefits despite still being employed at the prosecutor's office. The prosecutor's office then learned about "inaccuracies" in Lippert's bankruptcy petition and reported that to the trustee in the bankruptcy case, who reported it to the U.S. Trustee's office. As of Wednesday, no public records indicate Lippert has been criminally charged at the state or federal level. According to court documents filed June 30 in northern Ohio's U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the U.S. Trustee's Office claims Lippert made false statements when filing for bankruptcy. Specifically, a motion filed by U.S. Department of Justice attorney Derrick Rippy and U.S. Trustee Andrew Vara, makes these claims about Lippert's unemployment filing: • Lippert falsely claimed she didn't own property • Lippert had income from part-time jobs not disclosed in the bankruptcy filing • Lippert listed her household size as being larger than it actually is, and that she falsely claimed she lived separate from her husband and did not include his income in the filing. Her husband is Huron police Chief Bob Lippert. "(Lippert) made the false statements and concealments to prevent the trustee, creditors and other parties in interest from discovering her true financial condition," the motion states. "The inclusion of (Lippert's) husband's income would significantly alter her means test and income/expenses analysis, possibly resulting in the United States trustee filing a motion to dismiss for abuse." The U.S. Trustee's office wants to revoke the discharge Lippert originally received in the bankruptcy case, the motion states. Sandusky law firm Robert Zelvy & Associates represented Lippert in the original bankruptcy case, according to court records. The June 30 court filings list the firm as still representing Lippert, but a representative of the firm told the Register Wednesday that the former prosecutor is no longer a client. It's not known if Lippert's retained a new attorney who could speak on her behalf. The case is being handled by Judge John Gustafson. A court docket for the case does not list any rulings on the U.S. Trustee's motion, nor does it list any future court hearings.