Christopher P. White faces criminal charges that appear related to his efforts to keep his company afloat.

Christopher P. White, whose sprawling Indianapolis real estate development company collapsed in bankruptcy, now faces criminal charges that appear related to his efforts to keep his company afloat.The founder and head of Indianapolis real estate developer Premier Properties USA was charged Monday with theft, check fraud and fraud on a financial institution.Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi alleges White committed the crimes earlier this year, a time when he was struggling to fend off creditors and keep his development company solvent.The theft charge involves at least $100,000 from National Bank of Indianapolis, according to documents filed in Marion Superior Court. The check fraud charge involves at least $25,000, also from the National Bank.White, Indianapolis, is the sole owner of Premier Properties, whose best-recognized local holding was the Metropolis open-air mall in Plainfield. He founded the company 15 years ago and built it into a prominent regional retail developer with holdings in several states.Its collapse came suddenly this year, after commercial credit began drying up in a national recession in the commercial real estate industry.Premier filed a Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy in April. It was converted into a Chapter 7 liquidation last month after Premier lost control of its properties. The company cited debts of $32.5 million and assets of $2.3 million, most of which is furniture or accounts receivable.White, 50, also has been named in numerous civil lawsuits by creditors and suppliers to Premier who seek payment on millions of dollars in overdue loans or unpaid work.
Police say White wrote a $500,000 check payable to Premier Properties on Jan. 30 for deposit into a National Bank of Indianapolis account used by Premier, according to a probable cause affidavit.The check was drawn on a JP Morgan Chase account White controlled that contained no more than $1,000, the affidavit says.The check was returned for insufficient funds. National Bank of Indianapolis handled White's and Premier's banking needs, the affidavit says.The three charges against White are all Class C felonies, with each count carrying a penalty of two to eight years in prison and a $10,000 fine.No initial hearing has been set, the prosecutor's office said. As of Monday evening, a warrant had yet to be issued for White's arrest.
"We're continuing to investigate to determine if this was a one-time occurrence or if there was a pattern," Brizzi said. He declined to comment further.