做空者吉姆·查诺斯曾因安然公司(Enron Corp.)破产案而名声大噪并大赚一笔。他被一位合伙人指控侵吞公司的资金,用于个人用途,并为女友牟利。
2020年曾投资查诺斯公司(Chanos & Co.)的Conlon Holdings公司指控,查诺斯将其公司(前身为Kynikos Associates)当作了“储蓄罐”,但查诺斯对这一指控提出异议。他在去年年底关闭了自己经营近四十年的对冲基金。
上周末向纽约州法院提起的该起诉讼,涉及查诺斯十多年来从其公司借贷的1,000万美元未偿贷款。Conlon公司称,查诺斯“从未打算向公司偿还欠款,而是计划利用他作为普通合伙人的权力将公司搞垮,享受他的金融诡计带来的税收优惠,让他的合伙人一无所获”。
起诉状还指控查诺斯本月早些时候在没有通知合伙人的情况下,以1,780万美元的价格出售了他在迈阿密的豪华公寓——该公寓归查诺斯公司所有。
根据起诉状的说法,查诺斯的女友克丽丝特尔·康纳斯担任了这笔交易的销售代理,按照标准佣金率计算,这将为她带来54万美元的净收入。
起诉状称:“换句话说,查诺斯不仅出售了公司的财产,而且还向女友支付了不属于他的50多万美元。”
康纳斯并未立即回复置评请求。
“令人费解且毫无根据”
66岁的查诺斯在接受采访时称这起诉讼“令人费解且毫无根据”。他补充说:“事实将证明,这起诉讼涉及的公司内部贷款已于2021年还清。”
由肖恩·康伦经营的芝加哥公司Conlon称,查诺斯试图将对公司的出资重新定性为偿还贷款。
查诺斯的前首席财务官布赖恩·尼科尔斯在与起诉状一起提交的一份宣誓书中表示,他的老板在2022年纳税申报单中承认这笔贷款仍未偿还。
Conlon Holdings公司请求法院发布命令,禁止查诺斯转移迈阿密公寓的销售所得。Conlon Holdings还要求解除查诺斯公司普通合伙人的职务,并任命一名临时接管人。
查诺斯在2000年凭借做空安然公司,声望达到巅峰,当时该股票还是华尔街的宠儿。2001年下半年,安然公司被曝会计造假,投资者纷纷逃离,导致公司破产。安然倒闭后,查诺斯成为投资界的明星。
近年来,他的投资不太成功。做空特斯拉(Tesla Inc.)的策略失败,而且查诺斯去年宣布将关闭他的基金。当时该基金的规模从2008年的约80亿美元缩水到不到2亿美元。(财富中文网)
翻译:刘进龙
审校:汪皓
做空者吉姆·查诺斯曾因安然公司(Enron Corp.)破产案而名声大噪并大赚一笔。他被一位合伙人指控侵吞公司的资金,用于个人用途,并为女友牟利。
2020年曾投资查诺斯公司(Chanos & Co.)的Conlon Holdings公司指控,查诺斯将其公司(前身为Kynikos Associates)当作了“储蓄罐”,但查诺斯对这一指控提出异议。他在去年年底关闭了自己经营近四十年的对冲基金。
上周末向纽约州法院提起的该起诉讼,涉及查诺斯十多年来从其公司借贷的1,000万美元未偿贷款。Conlon公司称,查诺斯“从未打算向公司偿还欠款,而是计划利用他作为普通合伙人的权力将公司搞垮,享受他的金融诡计带来的税收优惠,让他的合伙人一无所获”。
起诉状还指控查诺斯本月早些时候在没有通知合伙人的情况下,以1,780万美元的价格出售了他在迈阿密的豪华公寓——该公寓归查诺斯公司所有。
根据起诉状的说法,查诺斯的女友克丽丝特尔·康纳斯担任了这笔交易的销售代理,按照标准佣金率计算,这将为她带来54万美元的净收入。
起诉状称:“换句话说,查诺斯不仅出售了公司的财产,而且还向女友支付了不属于他的50多万美元。”
康纳斯并未立即回复置评请求。
“令人费解且毫无根据”
66岁的查诺斯在接受采访时称这起诉讼“令人费解且毫无根据”。他补充说:“事实将证明,这起诉讼涉及的公司内部贷款已于2021年还清。”
由肖恩·康伦经营的芝加哥公司Conlon称,查诺斯试图将对公司的出资重新定性为偿还贷款。
查诺斯的前首席财务官布赖恩·尼科尔斯在与起诉状一起提交的一份宣誓书中表示,他的老板在2022年纳税申报单中承认这笔贷款仍未偿还。
Conlon Holdings公司请求法院发布命令,禁止查诺斯转移迈阿密公寓的销售所得。Conlon Holdings还要求解除查诺斯公司普通合伙人的职务,并任命一名临时接管人。
查诺斯在2000年凭借做空安然公司,声望达到巅峰,当时该股票还是华尔街的宠儿。2001年下半年,安然公司被曝会计造假,投资者纷纷逃离,导致公司破产。安然倒闭后,查诺斯成为投资界的明星。
近年来,他的投资不太成功。做空特斯拉(Tesla Inc.)的策略失败,而且查诺斯去年宣布将关闭他的基金。当时该基金的规模从2008年的约80亿美元缩水到不到2亿美元。(财富中文网)
翻译:刘进龙
审校:汪皓
Jim Chanos, the short seller who made his name and fortune on Enron Corp.’s demise, was sued by a partner that accused him of embezzling company funds for his personal use and enriching his girlfriend in the process.
Conlon Holdings, which invested in Chanos & Co. in 2020, claims that he used his firm, previously known as Kynikos Associates, as a “piggy bank.” Chanos, who disputes the claims, closed his hedge funds late last year after almost four decades.
The suit, filed in New York State court over the weekend, involves $10 million of outstanding loans that Chanos borrowed from his company over more than a decade. Conlon alleged that Chanos “never intended on paying the company back, but instead planned on using his power as general partner to run the company into the ground, enjoy the tax benefits of his financial shenanigans, and leave his partners with nothing.”
The suit also alleges that Chanos sold his luxury apartment in Miami—which was owned by Chanos & Co. —for $17.8 million earlier this month without notifying his partners.
Chanos’ girlfriend, Crystal Conners, acted as the sales agent on the deal, which would have netted her $540,000 at standard commission rates, according to the suit.
“In other words, Chanos not only sold the company’s property but did so in a way that he could pay his girlfriend more than half a million dollars of money that did not belong to him,” the lawsuit alleges.
Conners didn’t immediately reply to messages seeking comment.
‘Puzzling and Baseless’
In an interview, Chanos, 66, called the lawsuit “puzzling and baseless.” He added: “The facts will show that the internal loan in question from the company was paid off in 2021.”
Conlon, a Chicago-based firm run by Sean Conlon, alleged that Chanos looked to re-characterize capital contributions to the company as loan payments.
Brian Nichols, Chanos’ former chief financial officer, said in an affidavit filed along with the suit that his boss acknowledged the loan was still outstanding as part of his 2022 tax return.
Conlon Holdings is seeking an order restraining Chanos from transferring the proceeds of the Miami apartment sale. It also demands his removal as general partner of his firm and the appointment of a temporary receiver.
Chanos reached the apex of his fame by shorting Enron in 2000, when the stock was a Wall Street darling. In the second half of 2001, revelations of accounting fraud at the company caused investors to flee, leading to its bankruptcy. Chanos emerged from the collapse as a star in the investment world.
In recent years, his investments were less successful. A short position on Tesla Inc. foundered and Chanos announced last year that he was winding down his funds, which had less than $200 million at the time, down from about $8 billion in 2008.