Readers of the Fraud Files are familiar with the story of Jennifer McKinney – - mommy blogger who calls herself MckMama – - who is prone to lies and exaggerations. She and her husband Israel were accused of  lying to and manipulating readers for financial gain. What began as a touching story of a family with a very sick child turned into a long-running gravy train, from which Jennifer and Israel McKinney profited handsomely.

But making hundreds of thousands of dollars from gullible sheeple reading a blog wasn’t enough for the McKinneys. No, they had to run up over $725,000 of debts and attempt to have them discharged in bankruptcy. Fortunately, bankruptcy trustee Gene Doeling caught on quickly, and accused them of attempting to defraud their creditors by failing to report tens of thousands of dollars of income per year.

Several readers have posed questions to me recently about house fires and land contracts, and I will attempt to address them in this article. Remember: I am not an attorney, so the information I am providing here is only a product of my research and my experience as a forensic accountant.

I have been retained by insurance companies in the past to investigate cases of suspected arson. My role was to determine whether there was a financial motive for arson. That is, was the financial condition of the person or business such (high debts, failing business, etc.) that there may have been a motive to commit arson to collect money under an insurance policy?

Jennifer McKinney – - former mommy blogger nicknamed MckMama – - has good news for the many creditors that she owes hundreds of thousands of dollars…. SHE CAN PAY THEM! This month’s issue of Xyngular’s Momentum magazine featured Jennifer Howe Sauls McKinney on the cover.

Publications like this are purely recruiting tools. While 99% of people participating in multi-level marketing will lose money, there are a few at the top of the pyramid who will make big money (only because many below them are losing money). Companies like Xyngular parade around the big winners, hoping to continuously recruit new victims into their schemes.

Multi-level marketing companies are getting lots of attention lately thanks to the Bill Ackman smackdown of Herbalife in December. MLMs offering “nutrition products” are of special interest to consumers, and with good reason. Companies like Isagenix, MonaVie , Usana, Mannatech, and Shaklee all offer magic potions that claim to help you lose weight, absorb more vitamins and minerals, and cure all diseases.

Of course, many of these health claims are strictly prohibited. Nutrition MLMs generally have disclaimers stating that their health claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and that the products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. But that doesn’t stop the distributors for making such claims, and the company management turns a blind eye to it.

For some time now, we have been following the Jennifer McKinney bankruptcy trainwreck, in which Jennifer and her husband Israel McKinney were alleged to have falsified information and concealed assets. (In the world of forensic accounting, we call that fraud.) For those new to the site, you can read about the origins of the MckMama fraud, complete with solid proof of the lies.

Today a concerned citizen posted some information about the Cadillac Escalade Jennifer McKinney is now driving. Following a very suspicious car accident in October, MckMama began driving a 2005 Escalade. The citizen retrieved a CarFax report on the Escalade, which showed the vehicle being purchased in January 2012 and registered in Onalaska, WI. The report then showed the vehicle being sold in November 2012, which corresponds to Jennifer’s purchase of it.

We’ve been discussing here the case of Jennifer McKinney (aka MckMama) and Israel McKinney (dba Kieran’s Contracting) and their alleged fraud perpetrated on the bankruptcy court. Questions have been raised about the likelihood of the McKinneys facing criminal charges, despite a quiet resolution to their original bankruptcy filing (they have waived bankruptcy and can never have those debts discharged in bankruptcy in the future) and the related case filed by trustee Gene Doeling objecting to the discharge of their bankruptcy (resolved with the McKinneys paying $3,500, the value of some of the assets they failed to disclose, and therefore were non-exempt and could be used to pay creditors).

The bankruptcy of Todd Brunner, a Milwaukee area landlord, was thrown out by a judge earlier this year after it was discovered that he did not disclose all his assets. He had $19 million in debts, so not being able to ditch out of them in bankruptcy was probably pretty painful. (The IRS alone says he owes $400,000 to them, but since he hasn’t filed a tax return since 2008, who knows how much higher the real number could be.)

Jennifer McKinney (aka MckMama) and Israel McKinney appear to have settled all claims in their bankruptcy filing in which trustee Gene Doeling alleged fraud, saying:

The Debtors have concealed, destroyed, mutilated, falsified, or failed to keep or preserve any recorded information, including books, documents, records, and papers, from which the debtors’ financial condition or business transactions might be ascertained. The debtors failed to keep adequate books and records from which their financial transactions could be ascertained. The co-debtor was receiving cash payments from photography clients that were not disclosed and for which she has been unable to provide an accounting.

If you’re not interested in the saga of the bankruptcy fraud allegedly committed by Jennifer McKinney (blogger “MckMama”) and her husband Israel, skip this article. In the latest turn of events, MckMama has claimed to have two serious car accidents in the past 8 months that have landed her in the hospital. And oddly enough, both “accidents” occurred when MckMama was alone in the vehicle.

What’s curious about this is that MckMama, the woman who obsessively photographs everything about her life and posts oodles of pictures on the internet, never posted any pictures of her damaged vehicle. Two major accidents in 8 months, and no pictures to share with her loyal readers?

Great news out of the United States Bankruptcy Court in Minnesota, where Jennifer McKinney (blogger MckMama) and Israel McKinney filed for bankruptcy nearly a year ago. After trustee Gene Doeling ferreted out Jennifer’s financial shenanigans, he filed a complaint with the bankruptcy court objecting to the discharge of the debts. Mr. Doeling alleged that the McKinneys engaged in manipulation, destruction, concealment, and falsification of information in the bankruptcy process.

Yesterday a signed Application for Approval of Waiver of Discharge was filed with the court. This means that Jennifer and Israel McKinney have agreed that their debts should not be discharged in bankruptcy.

Jennifer McKinney, (Morally) Bankrupt Blogger

I’ve written previously about the bankruptcy of Jennifer “MckMama” McKinney and her husband Israel McKinney of Kieran’s Contracting. Jennifer was once a popular mommy blogger at mycharmingkids.net and mckmama.com.

Until the United States Bankruptcy Court got her number and decided to take action on allegations of fraud.

Jennifer Howe Sauls McKinney has a colorful history of lying to the internets about all sorts of things, most notably her debts and her alleged repayment of said debts.