Pair enter guilty pleas in federal case

A former Coeur d’Alene man has admitted in federal court that he concealed $22,000 in assets in a bankruptcy filing, and his wife has admitted to making a false statement to a bank in order to get a loan.

Craig Alan Burgess, 41, and Nancy G. Burgess, 46, entered guilty pleas in federal court in Coeur d’Alene last week. Craig Burgess faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison; Nancy Burgess faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, according to a U.S. Justice Department press release. Additional charges of making false statements to other financial institutions were dropped as part of the plea agreement, but the couple will remain responsible for the total amount of restitution, estimated at $171,000, the release said.

The Burgesses owned and operated Red Rooster Trading, a kitchen supply store, and Little Seattle, a coffee shop, under the false names Gerald W. May and Lauren E. May.

Both businesses were in Coeur d’Alene.

In February 2001, Craig Burgess, using the name Gerald May, filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy, and Little Seattle became the property of the bankruptcy estate. In October 2001, without the knowledge of the bankruptcy estate, Burgess sold Little Seattle for $22,000, according to the release. He then left the state.

In March 1999, Nancy Burgess used the name Lauren May and a fake Social Security number to get an $80,000 loan from Washington Trust Bank.