Feds asks judge to block ex-Milford strip club owner bankruptcy

BRIDGEPORT — A federal government lawyer says a Fairfield man who used to own a Milford strip club should be barred from declaring bankruptcy, citing dozens of separate instances in which he allegedly concealed assets or “knowingly and fraudulently” failed to disclose details of his financial affairs — including tens of thousands of dollars in checks signed by a former reputed mobster.

The feds’ complaint in the case of Joseph Regensburger, former president of Keepers, comes weeks after the Woodmont Road “gentlemen’s club” asked the state Supreme Court to overturn a $113,560 judgment to dancers who worked there affirmed by the Connecticut Appellate Court in October. 

Regensbuger did not return a message seeking comment Tuesday – and declined to speak during a hearing in the bankruptcy case last month before Judge Julie Manning.

The latest developments come more than seven years after the exotic dancers first filed a lawsuit in the case claiming they were not being paid a minimum wage or overtime after working 40 hours in any week and were fined for breaking the club rules — and more than three years after an arbitrator initially ruled in their favor.

A judge confirmed the arbitrator’s ruling in October

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FTX bankruptcy lawyers say they ‘do not trust’ Bahamas government

Dec 14 (Reuters) – Lawyers for the bankrupt crypto exchange FTX on Wednesday opposed a demand for internal records from an insolvent affiliate based in the Bahamas, saying they “do not trust” the Bahamian government with data that could be used to siphon off assets from the bankrupt company.

Liquidators of FTX’s Bahamian business, FTX Digital Markets, had asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John Dorsey to give them access to the U.S. unit’s Slack, Google and Amazon Web Services accounts and data.

At a court hearing in Delaware, lawyers for FTX asked Dorsey to deny the request. They argued that Bahamian regulators had worked with FTX’s founder, the recently arrested Sam Bankman-Fried, to undermine the U.S. bankruptcy case and withdraw assets to the detriment of some creditors.

FTX attorney James Bromley told Dorsey that the Bahamian government has previously obtained information from FTX Digital Market’s liquidators and used it to siphon digital assets away from FTX.

“This is dangerous information,” Bromley said. “We do not trust the Bahamian government.”

The Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB) has previously disputed FTX’s “misstatements” about the Bahamian government‘s response to FTX’s collapse.

Asked for comment on Wednesday, the SCB said it “is not

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Lawyer for Chris Pettit raises concerns about ‘authenticity’ of $270 million in bankruptcy claims

A lawyer for Chris Pettit, in a letter to the judge presiding over the ex-attorney’s bankruptcies, has raised questions about the “authenticity” of the $270 million in claims submitted by creditors in the cases.

The “obvious concern is that some creditors may take substantially more dividend than they are entitled to the detriment of honest creditors,” San Antonio bankruptcy lawyer Ron Smeberg wrote.

Pettit is in jail awaiting trial in connection with the alleged theft of millions of dollars from his former legal clients. He pleaded not guilty after his indictment on
five counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering
last week.

On ExpressNews.com:

Judge denies Chris Pettit’s release on bond, will remain jailed until his criminal trial

Pettit filed for bankruptcy protection
for himself and his law firm June 1 amid
mounting lawsuits that alleged he had defrauded clients. He subsequently
surrendered his law license
and shuttered his offices.

Smeberg said questions about the creditors’ claims “developed” during a detention hearing Tuesday in federal court in which prosecutors argued Pettit should remain incarcerated pending trial.

FBI agent Thomas Sweatt testified the “current claims” against Pettit were in the range of $30 (million) to $70 million,

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Sam Bankman-Fried’s sudden turn from white knight to detainee

By Hannah Lang

(Reuters) – The sudden fall from grace and arrest of FTX’s former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has stunned investors and crypto enthusiasts who once hailed the 30-year-old American as the savior of the industry.

Bankman-Fried was charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday with defrauding investors in what regulators called “a house of cards,” hours before he was set to appear before a magistrate in the Bahamas.

The fallen crypto entrepreneur was arrested by Bahamian authorities late on Monday at the request of the U.S. government, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. The Bahamian attorney general said in a separate statement the United States was likely to request his extradition.

Bankman-Fried amassed billions of dollars in personal wealth running FTX, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges that was valued earlier this year at $32 billion.

Since stepping down, Bankman-Fried has said he no longer has a role at the company. Yet he also told a Vox reporter he believed FTX’s bankruptcy filing was a mistake and has suggested on Twitter and in media interviews that he can still raise liquidity to repay customers. He did not specify how he planned to

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How Can a Business Bankruptcy Give You Something to Be Thankful for?

The holiday season can be a stressful one for anyone. Add to that seasonal stress the worries of a business struggling with debt, and you may feel like you have nothing worth being thankful for this holiday season

If your business is buried in debt or having trouble paying bills, learn more about how business bankruptcy can give you something to feel thankful for in the coming year:Why Should You Consider Filing for Business Bankruptcy?

There are many reasons why a business may consider filing for bankruptcy. The last three years have taught the entire world to be kinder when judging the financial decisions of others. Extending some of that grace to yourself and your business during these difficult financial times is important.

Whether you are buried under a mountain of unmanageable debt or just need help to reorganize those debts to make a better plan for the future, business bankruptcy might be the answer.

Businesses that find themselves in need of financial relief have two options when it comes to bankruptcy – liquidation or reorganization. This is the primary difference between Chapter 7 business bankruptcy and Chapter 11 business bankruptcy.

Chapter 7 business bankruptcy is often

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