United States v. Jeffrey Owen

── United States v. Jeffrey Owen ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Date: May 14, 2026 Category: General NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PUBLICATION File Name: 26a0213n.06 Case No. 24-5828 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT FILED May 14, 2026 KELLY L. STEPHENS, Clerk UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ) Plaintiff-Appellee, ) ) ON APPEAL FROM THE v. ) UNITED STATES DISTRICT ) COURT FOR THE WESTERN JEFFREY R. OWEN, ) DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY ) Defendant-Appellant. ) OPINION ) Before: CLAY, GIBBONS, and HERMANDORFER, Circuit Judges. HERMANDORFER, Circuit Judge. In Defendant-Appellant Jeffrey Owen’s telling, he is an eternally optimistic real-estate entrepreneur. But Owen’s business dealings were not what they seemed. As the Government’s proof showed, Owen wove a web of fraudulent misrepresentations and transactions so that Owen and his wife, Dr. Kimberly D. Owen, could hide their liabilities from lenders; shield their assets from creditors; and avoid ever making good on their debts. Owen and Kimberly masked the proceeds of their fraudulent dealings using related bank accounts they controlled. Kimberly pled guilty for her role in the scheme. But Owen opted to proceed to trial, where a jury convicted him on seven counts for his financial crimes. The district court sentenced Owen to 136 months’ imprisonment. No. 24-5828, United States v. Owen Owen now raises a litany of challenges covering a range of sufficiency issues, evidentiary and instructional rulings, and asserted sentencing errors. Because the district court committed no reversible error, we affirm Owen’s conviction and sentence. I A This criminal proceeding stems from a series of related transactions, entities, and lawsuits that span over a decade. For present purposes, we give an overview of Owen and Kimberly’s efforts to procure bank loans, evade collection by creditors, and disguise the source and use of funds obtained as part of their financial schemes. In May 2013, Owen and Kimberly organized an entity, CD Management of Shelbyville, Inc., to acquire commercial real estate. Evidence established that Kimberly incorporated the company and served as its registered agent, while Owen operated as its “spokesman.” Trial Tr. Vol. 1, R.217, PageID 2439. Owen also “ran the day-to-day operations” of the company. Id. Throughout 2013, CD Management of Shelbyville applied for, and Citizens Union Bank (CUB) and Eclipse Bank (Eclipse) approved, collateralized loans totaling $1,492,000 to purchase four properties. By March 2014, Kimberly had taken over management of another entity, CD Management, LLC, from a “long-time business partner” of Owen’s. Trial Tr. Vol. 2, R.221, PageID 2621. American Founders Bank (AFB) subsequently approved a collateralized loan of $144,000 for CD Management, LLC, to purchase a fifth property. Owen was the primary point of contact with each bank during the loan application and approval process. He provided the banks “with all the documentation” and “the records that they -2- No. 24-5828, United States v. Owen requested[] in the origination process.” Id. at PageID