Once an economic hope for southern Indiana, business owner now facing multiple fraud charges

RIVER. VERY CHARISMATIC MAN CHRISTINE HAMANN MET JOHN CHRISTOPHER GIBBS WHEN GIBBS INQUIRED ABOUT LEASING THIS BUILDING ON CRUMBS LANE IN LOUISVILLE FOR HIS BUSINESS. GIBBS INNOVATIVE MANUFACTURING. BUT IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE GIBBS FELL BEHIND ON RENT. AND THEN I SAID, MAN, YOU KNOW, MY I’VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING. I’M GOING TO HAVE TO EVICT YOU IF YOU DON’T WANT TO PAY, WELL, I’M GOING TO PAY YOU. HERE’S HERE’S A CHECK. SO HE WROTE ME TWO CHECKS FOR $5,000 A PIECE AND THEY BOUNCED. GIBBS IS NOW FACING TWO COUNTS OF THEFT BY DECEPTION IN LOUISVILLE. I FEEL EMBARRASSED BY IT, YOU KNOW, BUT. BUT IF I CAN STOP HIM FROM DOING IT TO SOMEBODY ELSE, THAT’S. THAT’S MY GOAL. FOR ALL THE DAMAGE THAT POLICE SAY GIBBS DID IN LOUISVILLE, INDIANA, STATE POLICE SAY HE LEFT AN EVEN BIGGER WAKE OF DESTRUCTION HERE IN SCOTT COUNTY WHEN GIBBS ANNOUNCED THAT HE WAS OPENING A FACTORY JUST OUTSIDE SCOTTSBURG, IT WAS HERALDED AS AN ECONOMIC BOON, TURNED OUT TO BE ANYTHING BUT IT WAS GOING TO HELP GROW. SCOTTSBURG SCOTT COUNTY, I THINK HE PROMISED SOMEWHERE WAS OVER 101 HUNDRED JOBS. TROY PONDER DID ELECTRICAL WORK FOR GIBBS AT THIS PLANT WHEN GIBBS ANNOUNCED HE WOULD INVEST $18.7 MILLION HERE TO MAKE BUILDING MATERIALS, THE STATE OF INDIANA SENT OUT THIS PRESS RELEASE AND OFFERED HIM 1.9 MILLION IN TAX INCENTIVES. HE IS VERY SMOOTH. YOU TALK TO HIM, YOU WOULDN’T IF HE WAS LYING, YOU WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DETECT IT. THE PLANT NEVER BEGAN PRODUCTION. GIBBS IS NOW FACING SEVEN COUNTS OF FRAUD, SEVEN COUNTS OF THEFT, AND ONE COUNT OF CORRUPT BUSINESS PRACTICE HERE IN SCOTT COUNTY. HE OWES. PONDER $125,000 FOR THE ELECTRICAL WORK. I’M GOING TO HAVE TO PICK UP THE PIECES. THIS IS GOING TO BE HARD ON ME. I DON’T KNOW HOW ELSE TO PUT IT. I DON’T THINK ANYBODY CAN BOU

Once heralded as an economic boon for Scott County, the gate to Gibbs Innovation Manufacturing, or GIM, Inc., is now closed and the forlorn parking lot is empty. When GIM, Inc. announced it was buying an old factory in Scottsburg, Indiana, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation sent out a news release.The state agency declared GIM would receive $1.9 million in state tax incentives in exchange for bringing 135 new jobs with an $18.7 million investment. The news release, issued in November, even included statements of praise from the Indiana Secretary of Commerce, Scottsburg's mayor and the CEO of the local chamber of commerce, One Southern Indiana.Those plans no longer seem possible, with the company's owner, John Christopher "Chris" Gibbs, now facing more than a dozen criminal charges across four states."He was very smooth," said Troy Ponder, an electrician who says Gibbs has not paid him for $125,000 worth of work at the Scottsburg plant. "You talked to him, if he was lying, you wouldn't be able to detect it."Indiana State Police announced last week Gibbs was facing seven counts of fraud, seven counts of theft and one count of corrupt business practice in Scott County related to $302,000 owed to contractors and a financial institution.Gibbs also faces two counts of theft by deception in Louisville, related to a building he leased on Crums Lane from local businessman Chris Thieneman. "Very charismatic man," Thieneman said, describing Gibbs. "Talked really well, educated. Like, hey, he had his business, it's going to explode."Thieneman said he was forced to evict Gibbs from a home he rented him in Louisville's Glenmary subdivision when Gibbs fell behind on rent. But Thieneman said he did not go to police until Gibbs gave him two bad checks for more than $10,000 in lease payments for the business property. When Thieneman went to evict GIM, Inc., from Crums Lane, he discovered Gibbs had been subleasing part of the building to another business owner. "I can't speak to what was in his mind but I can tell you I gave him so many chances," Thieneman said. "It wasn't like the first time he dropped the ball that I was going to evict him. He fumbled, as you say in football terms, like four or five times."Gibbs is also facing criminal charges in Tennessee and Indiana.He's currently being held in the Shelby County, Kentucky, jail after being arrested at a hotel there.He's due in court in Louisville on June 16 and has yet to appear for a probable cause hearing in Indiana.

SCOTTSBURG, Ind. —

Once heralded as an economic boon for Scott County, the gate to Gibbs Innovation Manufacturing, or GIM, Inc., is now closed and the forlorn parking lot is empty.

When GIM, Inc. announced it was buying an old factory in Scottsburg, Indiana, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation sent out a news release.

The state agency declared GIM would receive $1.9 million in state tax incentives in exchange for bringing 135 new jobs with an $18.7 million investment. The news release, issued in November, even included statements of praise from the Indiana Secretary of Commerce, Scottsburg's mayor and the CEO of the local chamber of commerce, One Southern Indiana.

Those plans no longer seem possible, with the company's owner, John Christopher "Chris" Gibbs, now facing more than a dozen criminal charges across four states.

"He was very smooth," said Troy Ponder, an electrician who says Gibbs has not paid him for $125,000 worth of work at the Scottsburg plant. "You talked to him, if he was lying, you wouldn't be able to detect it."

Indiana State Police announced last week Gibbs was facing seven counts of fraud, seven counts of theft and one count of corrupt business practice in Scott County related to $302,000 owed to contractors and a financial institution.

Gibbs also faces two counts of theft by deception in Louisville, related to a building he leased on Crums Lane from local businessman Chris Thieneman.

"Very charismatic man," Thieneman said, describing Gibbs. "Talked really well, educated. Like, hey, he had his business, it's going to explode."

Thieneman said he was forced to evict Gibbs from a home he rented him in Louisville's Glenmary subdivision when Gibbs fell behind on rent. But Thieneman said he did not go to police until Gibbs gave him two bad checks for more than $10,000 in lease payments for the business property.

When Thieneman went to evict GIM, Inc., from Crums Lane, he discovered Gibbs had been subleasing part of the building to another business owner.

"I can't speak to what was in his mind but I can tell you I gave him so many chances," Thieneman said. "It wasn't like the first time he dropped the ball that I was going to evict him. He fumbled, as you say in football terms, like four or five times."

Gibbs is also facing criminal charges in Tennessee and Indiana.

He's currently being held in the Shelby County, Kentucky, jail after being arrested at a hotel there.

He's due in court in Louisville on June 16 and has yet to appear for a probable cause hearing in Indiana.

Once an economic hope for southern Indiana, business owner now facing multiple fraud charges

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