Phil Ammann
Jim Greer is once again grappling with financial problems.
Last month, the disgraced former Florida GOP chair filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in federal court, with records showing liabilities at more than three times listed assets.
Elyssa Cherney of the Orlando Sentinel reports that between Greer, 52, and his wife, Lisa, the pair owes more than 60 creditors about $1.5 million, with a combination of credit card, legal and medical debt.
Greer’s financial woes come through a petition filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida on March 24.
“After the devastation that was imposed on me and my family, this is the last step that I, unfortunately, need to take to have a fresh start and get my life back together,” Greer told the Sentinel by phone.
Greer spent 15 1/2 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in 2013 to four counts of theft and a single count of money laundering during his time as Florida GOP chair from 2007 to 2010. Other accusations include stealing $125,000 in party money.
Reporter Elyssa Cherney writes that records show Greer’s outstanding debts include $15,127 to Ellington Estates Homeowners’ Association and $35,000 to Francine Barnhill, his ex-wife, for child support. Since 2008, Greer has also owed $274,842 to the Internal Revenue Service.
Greer spent several months at an Orlando halfway house, where he worked as a furniture salesman, before his release July 4. Court records show he’s president of a drug-testing company in Winter Park, earning about $5,000 a month.
Records also show the couple declared $521,440 in assets.
