Owners of Defunct Wildwood Industries Plead Guilty to Fraud Conspiracy

A Bloomington, Illinois couple who owned and operated Wildwood Industries, Inc., Gary and Toni Jo Wilder, pled guilty today to conspiring together, and with others, to defraud more than $213 million from approximately 85 lenders to fund manufacturing equipment which did not exist. Gary, 68, and Toni Jo, 63, both of the 100 block of S. Kreitzer Avenue, Bloomington, Illinois, waived indictment and pled guilty to charges filed by information in a court appearance. Wildwood was the subject of an involuntary bankruptcy petition on Mar. 5, 2009. Wildwood's assets were sold two months later, on May 20, 2009, for approximately $2 million. Four other individuals formely employed by the company have previously waived indictment and pled guilty to criminal charges related to the fraud scheme and are awaiting sentencing for conspiracy to commit money laundering, mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and theft from employee benefit plan. Posted in: Internal Fraud