Bethesda Woman Pleads Guilty to Concealing Assets in Bankruptcy Filing

A Bethesda woman pleaded guilty Wednesday in connection with a case in which prosecutors say she filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and attempted to conceal assets including stock worth more than $10,000, two vehicles, and a Cartier bracelet with 75 individually set diamonds she sold for $85,000.

Diana J. Stout, 56, pleaded guilty to false statement in bankruptcy and concealment of assets and faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison on each of the two counts, according to a statement released by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

Stout is set to be sentenced in February.

In addition to failing to disclose the bracelet, the 797 shares of Eagle Bancorp, and the 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche SUV and 1993 Toyota Supra, a 16-count indictment also alleged that Stout failed to disclose that she transferred a property she owned in North Carolina to her daughter for $1. Stout bought the property in 2008 with her own funds and the funds of her former boyfriend, who filed a civil complaint alleging Stout misappropriated more than $1 million of his money, including for the purchase of the property, according to the indictment.

Stout’s bankruptcy filing prevented her former boyfriend from proceeding with the civil case, according to the release.

The indictment also alleges Stout converted insurance checks intended for water damage repairs on a home she owned in Hagerstown to her own use, and filed forms purporting to be from creditors withdrawing claims for funds with fraudulent signatures.