CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Heather Lynn Pratt, of Fort Myers, Florida, was sentenced today to five years of probation for bankruptcy fraud, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Pratt, 32, pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of “Fraudulent Concealment of Bankruptcy Assets.” At the time of the offense, Pratt was employed by Emerald Grande, LLC and had access to the finances of the Florida-based company. Emerald Grande was operating two La Quinta Inn & Suites in West Virginia, one in Elkview and the other in Summersville, as well as a commercial property in Charleston known as the Kanawha Landing Property. Emerald Grande was a debtor in a bankruptcy case filed and pending in Clarksburg United States Bankruptcy Court.
Pratt admitted to concealing more than $145,000 she embezzled from the operating account of the LaQuinta Inn & Suites in Summersville from the bankruptcy trustee, when in fact, that money belonged to the debtor, Emerald Grande, LLC.
Pratt was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $145,386.93 to the U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod J. Douglas prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The FBI investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.