Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Robert Johnson, age 41, of Syracuse, New York, was charged with making false declarations in a bankruptcy case, bankruptcy fraud, and falsification of bankruptcy records for filing false bankruptcy petitions in Michigan, Mississippi, Iowa, Florida, New York, Montana, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement.
A criminal complaint alleges that between June 2025 to July 2025 Johnson filed multiple false bankruptcy petitions alleging that a law enforcement official was a commodity broker who engaged in white collar crimes and wire fraud and owed Johnson $99,999,999; an Onondaga County State Court Judge was a stockbroker who engaged in fraud and a commodity broker who engaged in white collar crimes and wire fraud, and owed Johnson $99,999,999 in debts; and a Cayuga County Supreme Court Judge was a stockbroker engaged in Ponzi schemes and owed Johnson $99,999,999 in debts. Further, the complaint alleges that Johnson filed a bankruptcy petition in West Virginia that claimed that a non-profit organization, headquartered in Syracuse, New York, had environmental and health hazards, money laundering, and Ponzi schemes associated with it. According to the complaint, each of the bankruptcy petitions were mailed in Syracuse, New York. The FBI investigated and found the claims in Johnson’s bankruptcy petitions to be false.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “Johnson, as alleged, filed bogus petitions in nine states against respected public officials, and a reputable non-profit organization. These false petitions wreak havoc on the victims; it is a form of financial terrorism. As Mr. Johnson’s arrest will attest, we will not stand for this conduct in the Northern District of New York. I want to commend the FBI agents who conducted this investigation and were able to apprehend the defendant in record time.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli said: “The impact of Mr. Johnson’s alleged fraud was incredibly damaging to the individuals and the non-profit he targeted. Once our office was notified of the alleged crimes, we investigated and swiftly arrested Johnson, who is now facing federal charges for his reckless schemes. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate criminals looking to defraud our communities.”
The charges filed against Johnson carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Johnson appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge, Mark W. Pederson, and was detained pending further proceedings.
The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Brown is prosecuting the case.