SCOTTSBURG, Ind. — A Louisville man who owned businesses in southern Indiana has been arrested by state police on felony fraud and theft charges.
Indiana State Police announced the arrest of 57-year-old Kentucky resident John Christopher Gibbs on Friday. Gibbs, ISP said, now faces the following charges:
- Corrupt business practices – one count
- Fraud (level 5 felony) – five counts
- Fraud (level 6 felony) – two counts
- Theft (level 5 felony) – three counts
- Theft (level 6 felony) – four counts
ISP began an investigation in Gibbs in March when a business vendor and potential fraud victim contacted detectives claiming he was engaged in fraudulent business practices.
Gibbs was soon identified as the owner of Gibbs Innovative Manfacturers Inc. (or GIM Inc.), which was located in Scottsburg, the county seat of Scott County that sits about 30 miles north of Louisville.
The vendor told ISP that Gibbs had paid for services with a fake check that was for over $10,000. Detectives investigated and found that Gibbs had knowingly written the check the day after he closed the associated account.
ISP continued investigating and found that multiple other vendors claimed to be victims and that GIM Inc. had owed them large payments for work completed at the company’s Scottsburg factory. These vendors, ISP said, included various Southern Indiana-based contractors as well as a local financial institution.
In total, investigators believe that Gibbs owed or fraudulently paid for $302,000 worth of work or services.
As a result of the investigation, ISP said that the Scott County Circuit Court issued an arrest warrant for Gibbs. Kentucky State Police detectives then arrested Gibbs this week at a Simpsonville hotel he was living at.
In addition to the charges brought against Gibbs in Indiana, ISP said that Kentucky authorities also arrested him on related warrants in Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.
