The bankruptcy system is designed to give individuals and companies an opportunity to reorganize their affairs and write-off their debts for a "fresh start" when they get over their heads. The amount of money a creditor will receive from a debtor's bankruptcy ranges from nothing in many cases to 100% in a few cases.

With the increase in bankruptcy filings over the past couple of years, prosecutions of bankruptcy fraud have also increased. Bankruptcy fraud generally falls under four different categories:

• When a debtor conceals assets to avoid forfeiting them
• When individuals file false or incomplete forms
• When an individual files numerous times, either by using real information in several states or by using false information
• When a court-appointed trustee is bribed

In addition, bankruptcy fraud often involves other serious crimes such as mortgage fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and public corruption. If you are charged with bankruptcy fraud, you need a criminal defense attorney who has a proven record of success.