Los Alamos National Bank v. Lamey (In re Lamey)

574 B.R. 240, 2017 Bankr. LEXIS 2044
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, D. New Mexico
DecidedJuly 21, 2017
DocketNo. 14-13729 ta7; Adv. No. 15-1029
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 574 B.R. 240 (Los Alamos National Bank v. Lamey (In re Lamey)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, D. New Mexico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Los Alamos National Bank v. Lamey (In re Lamey), 574 B.R. 240, 2017 Bankr. LEXIS 2044 (N.M. 2017).

Opinion

OPINION

Hon. David T. Thuma, United States Bankruptcy Judge

The Court held a trial on the merits of Plaintiffs nondischargeability and denial of discharge complaint. Having weighed the evidence and considered the relevant legal standards, the Court rules that Defendant’s discharge should be denied under §§ 727(a)(2)(B) and (a)(4).

I. FACTS

The Court finds the following facts:1

1. General. Defendant Bryan Lamey is a certified public accountant. He worked for Arthur Andersen from 1992-1995 and then started his own accounting firm (Chavar-ria, Dunne and Lamey), which specialized in litigation support. Before March, 2010, the owners of Chavarria, Dunne and La-mey sold the firm to a regional accounting firm (Clifton Gunderson), receiving millions of dollars in exchange. As of March 4, 2010, Defendant’s balance sheet reflected a net worth of more than $21 Million. His March 30, 2012, balance sheet showed a net worth of $15,440,000. Defendant is a relatively sophisticated businessman.

On December 30, 2014, Debtor filed this chapter 7 case. On his original bankruptcy schedules, Defendant reflected a negative [244]*244net worth of $1,463,563, meaning that he had lost nearly $17 Million in less than three years. Defendant lost portions of his wealth day trading.

2.The United Entities. Defendant formed six limited liability companies in 2012 (the “United Entities”) for the purpose of owning and operating recreational vehicle dealerships in Las Cruces and Albuquerque, New México.2 The other owners were Robert Maese, Sr. and Robert Maese, Jr. Defendant owned 51% of the holding companies and was the managing member of all the United Entities.

Three of the United Entities3 borrowed $1,650,000 from Plaintiff to buy real estate in Las Cruces for the Las Cruces dealership. The loan was secured by a mortgage on the purchased land and by a security interest in personal property, including inventory and equipment.

The RV dealerships were unprofitable; the owners closed them in 2013. Their “floorplan” lender (GE Capital) repossessed its collateral of new and used recreational vehicles. The Albuquerque real estate was sold in August, 2013. The Las Cruces dealership sold its non-floor-planned inventory, its parts inventory, and the other dealership personal property in late 2013 or early 2014, netting about $20,-000-$30,000. It is not clear which United Entity owned this property.4

Tax returns for the United Entities were prepared timely for the 2012 tax year. Tax returns for the 2013 tax year were not completed until April 6, 2015. The United Entities’ accountant was Donald Miller of Peltier, Gustafson & Miller.

3. Rhonda Smith. On May 29, 2014, Defendant’s sister Rhonda Smith gave a $14,000 check to Defendant, which he deposited in one of his bank accounts. Defendant repaid his sister, with interest, on July 27, 2014. The payment amount was $14,268. Defendant did not list the $14,268 payment on his Statement of Financial Affairs (“SOFAs”) (question 3(c) requires disclosure of all insider payments made within a year pre-petition). Defendant has never amended his SOFAs. In response to a written request for production of documents evidencing transfers to brothers or sisters between September 1, 2012 and October 31, 2016, Defendant stated that there were no such transfers or responsive documents.5

4. 2013 Tax Refund. On October 14, 2014, Defendant filed his 2013 federal income tax return, asserting that he was due a $8,538 refund. Defendant did not disclose the refund on his bankruptcy schedule B. Defendant received the refund on May 26, 2015, but did not tell the trustee. Nearly two years later, Defendant amended his schedule B to disclose the existence and payment of the 2013 tax refund. The disclosure misleadingly attributes the 2013 tax refund to net operating losses generated by the United Entities (see the discussion below).

[245]*2455. Dana Lamey’s Schwab Account. Defendant’s ex-wife, Dana Lamey, has a Schwab cash management account. In August, 2013, Ms. Lamey signed a power of attorney giving Defendant the right to transfer or withdraw funds from the account. In 2014, Defendant transferred the following amounts to himself from the Schwab account: $7,500 on January 16, 2014; $3,000 on February 11, 2014; $6,000 on March 12, 2014 (two transfers); $1,100 on May 5, 2014; and $22,500 on July 1, 2014 (two transfers). Defendant used the account as if it were his own.

Defendant did not disclose any information about Dana Lamey’s Schwab account, including the fact that on the petition date the account balance was $1,268. During his deposition taken by Plaintiffs counsel, Defendant testified that the transfers in 2014 were done by Dana Lamey, not by him. That testimony was false.

Ms. Lamey testified that the Schwab account was hérs, but the funds in the account were both hers and Defendant’s. Defendant testified he used the account to make money for both families.

Defendant signed answers to Plaintiffs interrogatories on December 16, 2015, under penalty of perjury. In response to Plaintiffs request to list all bank account to which he had signing authority, Defendant did not list Dana Lamey’s Schwab account.

6. United Entities’ NOLs and Defendant’s Amended Tax Returns. On December 29, 2014, the IRS notified Defendant that it was auditing his 2011 federal income tax return. Defendant hired CPA Don Miller to represent him in the audit.

Defendant and Miller realized that the United Entities had generated substantial net operating losses (“NOLs”) in 2013. Because the United Entities’ profits and losses passed through to its members, the NOLs would benefit Defendant and the Maeses. Further, the NOLs could be carried back to 2010. On or about April 6, 2015, Miller filed the 2013 federal and state income tax returns for United Entity holding companies, and also issued K-ls to the members.

Based on the K-ls, Defendant filed amended state and federal tax returns for 2010, 2011, and 2013, which generated the following refunds:

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All of the refunds were paid to Defendant and deposited in his bank accounts. He did not notify the trustee of the payments, nor turn the money over to the trustee. He apparently spent the tax refunds. Defendant’s original bankruptcy schedules do not reflect any potential tax refunds.7 Defendant amended his schedule B on February 13, 2015, but did not disclose any potential tax refunds. Defendant [246]*246did not file a further amendment to Schedule B until March 14, 2017, at which time he disclosed three of the tax refunds, totaling $69,511. LANB exposed at least some of these omissions during a deposition taken before the March 14, 2017 amendments. Defendant’s schedules as amended never accurately described the tax refunds he received. By April 6, 2015, he knew the extent of the NOLs, and that he would use them to amend his prior tax returns and obtain large refunds.

7.Mustang GT. On the petition date Defendant owned a 2007 Ford Mustang GT “Foose.” He scheduled the car with a value of $10,225, and claimed all of that amount exempt. Defendant sold the car on March 30, 2015, for $14,500. He did not notify the trustee about the sale or turn over the excess above the claimed exemption.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
574 B.R. 240, 2017 Bankr. LEXIS 2044, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/los-alamos-national-bank-v-lamey-in-re-lamey-nmb-2017.