17 Mar2014
California Bankruptcy Turns Violent
Written by CFB Blogger. Posted in Blog
Mike Ghoneim, an investment adviser who had claimed nearly $2.5 million in unsecured personal debt in a 2010 Chapter 7 bankruptcy, was recently booked into jail on attempted murder charges when the sheriff’s department said he shot a property manager during a bank repossession of his $1.6 million home. Thankfully, the injured man was treated for his wound, which was not considered to be life-threatening.
According to a report on www.mercurynews.com by Erin Ivie and David DeBolt, the San Ramon, California, man surrendered to authorities after a Contra Costa County SWAT team lobbed tear gas into his house some four hours after officials say he shot a man in the leg with a shotgun, prompting a confrontation with law enforcement.
From the same article, court documents show that Ghoneim and his wife Naoko Chiba had defaulted on a home loan and were fighting a bank over whether it had the right to evict them; Chiba was also sued for back rent for her stationery and gift store, Pleasant Thoughts.
The Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing showed that the couple had $1.4 million in assets and liabilities of $3.86 million owed to various creditors; they had reportedly been sued by a number of entities, including family members. The couple also had outstanding mortgages on four homes and owed money on two failed businesses, the gift shop and Ghoneim’s business, Verawealth Investments.
The Mercury News also reports that Chiba had filed independently for Chapter 13 bankruptcy this past August for debt owed to Pleasant Thoughts’ lenders; that bankruptcy filing was dismissed when she failed to make a payment to the bankruptcy trustee.
Ghoneim has been booked into jail on five counts of attempted murder, one for every person who arrived to serve the eviction notice and, at press-time, was being held in lieu of $2.5 million bail.
The attorneys from Client First Bankruptcy are among the most knowledgeable consumer bankruptcy attorneys in the U.S. Call us toll-free at 800-383-6004 and log onto our easy-to-navigate, interactive website at www.clientfirstbankruptcy.com for important information on filing your Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.