AMARILLO,TEXAS -- Amarillo Dr. Robert Warren Paige has been ordered to pay an $80,000 fine and three years probation,following his guilty plea in September 2009. Wednesday U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson sentenced Paige after his guilty plea to a felony offense related to a bankruptcy filing. Paige pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging misprision of a felony.
According to documents filed in the case, Paige is a physician, specializing in anesthesia, with special emphasis on pain management.
On February 6, 2004, Paige filed for Chapter Seven Bankruptcy and a Chapter Seven Bankruptcy Trustee was appointed. The bankruptcy case resulted in several adversary proceedings regarding various contested matters. One of the adversary proceedings dealt with Bobladon, Ltd., which conducted business under various names including "Catco." Catco owned antique classic cars.
Paige entered into a global settlement agreement disposing of various contested matters in the bankruptcy. The settlement agreement gave the Trustee full ownership of the four classic cars.
The final settlement closing conference was held in August of 2006. The Trustee took full title to all the property of the bankruptcy estate. The titles of the cars were provided to the Trustee with Paige representing that the cars were at full disposition of the Trustee and that they were being stored here in Amarillo. That however was not the case. Paige had transferred the classic cars to an auction house in Canada in May and June in 2006. The cars were to be sold at auction. The vehicles were in fact sold in August of 2006 for a gross sale price of $648,500.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulina Jacobo of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Lubbock, Texas.
