A federal grand jury has indicted a former Bullitt County Master Commissioner “with engaging in a scheme to commit wire and bank fraud,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky.
A federal grand jury in Louisville returned the indictment on Wednesday charging former Bullitt County Master Commissioner John Anthony Schmidt, 66, with two counts of bank fraud and one count of wire fraud.
According to the indictment, between September 2014 and January 2019, while serving as the trustee for two separate trusts, “Schmidt devised a scheme to defraud and obtain money from trusts by means of false and fraudulent pretenses and representations to use the trusts’ money for his own personal expenditures,” prosecutors said. In total, Schmidt is accused of pilfering over $435,000.
If convicted, Schmidt faces a maximum sentence of 80 years in prison.
The FBI continues to investigate the case.
Master commissioners are appointed by a circuit judge to serve in each Kentucky county to assist the judge with judicial sales and special proceedings or other duties as directed by the court.
(Photo: John Anthony Schmidt)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
