The founder of Germantown-based AmeriDebt has pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, admitting that he concealed assets during court proceedings against the now-defunct debt counseling company. Prosecutors alleged that Andris Pukke deliberately transferred millions of dollars in assets to his father, estranged wife and girlfriend in order to conceal them from authorities after AmeriDebt was accused of cheating debtors.
The company was founded in 1996 to help clients lower payments and receive counseling. It became one of the country’s largest debt counseling services before the Federal Trade Commission claimed in a 2003 lawsuit that the company charged debtors $172 million in hidden fees, which Pukke allegedly used to fund a lavish lifestyle for himself.
