Erie doctor pleads guilty to fraud

ERIE — Dr. Cathleen Van Buskirk, 55, from Erie has pled guilty to bankruptcy fraud, a federal crime, and will be sentenced Nov. 29.

Van Buskirk, who is a doctor and surgeon practicing in Boulder, was released on bond pending sentencing.

U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer and FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Calvin Shivers said in an announcement that Van Buskirk filed for bankruptcy in August 2014 and that she deliberately failed to disclose certain assets and took various steps to conceal her interest in the assets.

She concealed between $250,000-$500,000 worth of property that should have been part of her bankruptcy estate, including gold and silver coins, foreign currency, a diamond ring, and $48,000 in cash that she asked a friend to hold for her. She also routed $170,000 through shell companies that were registered in the names of others but which Van Buskirk actually controlled, the U.S. attorney said.

on Facebook on LinkedIn