In re Anvil Holdings LP
In re Anvil Holdings LP
Opinion of the Court
I.
JURISDICTION
The Court has jurisdiction under
*625This is a core proceeding under
II.
FACTS
Anvil is a limited partnership formed under the law of Idaho in November 2007. Andrew G. Villone is Anvil's general partner. Anvil's business is headquartered at 37 Birch Crescent, Rochester, New York. (ECF No. 1, at 1). At some point, Frank Villone became a limited partner of Anvil. (Id. at 28). On October 24, 2018, Anvil filed a Chapter 11 petition, through Louis V. Asandrov, Esq. as its counsel.
A slight detour may provide a useful lens through which to view Anvil's resort to Chapter 11. Mr. Asandrov is no stranger to being a debtor in bankruptcy and to using bankruptcy as a litigation strategy to delay the consequences of not paying real estate taxes. Beginning in 2008, Mr. Asandrov has filed a total of 10 Chapter 13 cases in which he was the debtor. Each of those cases was filed to stop a tax foreclosure proceeding against his property at 109 Colvin Street, Rochester. Each of those cases was dismissed shortly after it was filed. (See Case Nos. 08-20830-JCN; 09-20259-JCN; 09-20680-JCN; 09-22467-JCN; 09-23284-JCN; 10-22641-JCN; 12-13241-MJK; 13-12833-MJK; 15-21195-PRW). After those efforts to dodge the tax collector failed, Mr. Asandrov transferred the real property to Baltic Property Solutions, Inc., a shell corporation controlled by him, and then he filed a Chapter 11 on behalf of that corporation. (See Case No. 16-12276-MJK). That case was also quickly dismissed. After having successfully held off the Monroe County tax collector for nearly a decade, Mr. Asandrov lost title to 109 Colvin Street through a tax foreclosure concluded on October 31, 2017. (See Monroe County Clerk, Book 11941 of Deeds, Page 168). Mr. Asandrov's personal use of the bankruptcy process as a tool to frustrate the collection of property taxes seems to be a litigation strategy that he is sharing with Anvil and its principal in this case.
Here, Anvil lists a total of 12 pieces of real estate that it owns around Rochester (ECF No. 1, at 10-11):
*626Location Property Tax Status 34 Bedford Street Delinquent 2015-2018 546 Bernard Street Delinquent 2012-2018 76 Carter Street Delinquent 2009-2018 92 Carter Street Delinquent 2012-2013 96 Carter Street Delinquent 2012-2013 287 Curlew Street Delinquent 2018 472 Jay Street Current 6 Lochner Place Delinquent 2018 29 Lorenzo Street Delinquent 2012-2018 195 Orange Street Delinquent 2012-2013, 2018 201 Orange Street Delinquent 2017-2018 13 Wood Street Delinquent 2012-2018
Despite the fact that the petition lists 37 Birch Crescent as Anvil's principal place of business, that piece of property is noticeably absent from the properties listed in Schedule A/B, Part 9 of the petition. Here's the reason. In late June 2018, just a few months prior to Anvil filing its Chapter 11 petition, ownership of 37 Birch Crescent was transferred from Anvil Holdings LP to its general partner, Andrew G. Villone. (See Monroe County Clerk, Book 12044 of Deeds, Page 36). The deed transferring title from Anvil to Mr. Villone was signed by Mr. Villone-beyond a shade of a doubt, he knew of and participated in the transfer. Then, in August 2018, Mr. Villone borrowed $ 75,000 from Quicken Loans Inc., in exchange for which Mr. Villone granted the lender a mortgage and assignment of rents covering 37 Birch Crescent.
*627(See Monroe County Clerk, Book 27733 of Mortgages, Page 563). And, on December 21, 2018, two months after Anvil's Chapter 11 petition was filed , Mr. Villone granted Canandaigua National Bank and Trust a credit line mortgage on 37 Birch Crescent to secure a loan of $ 51,600. (See Monroe County Clerk, Book 27873 of Mortgages, Page 521).
So, it would appear that Mr. Villone caused Anvil to transfer to him its most valuable piece of property, and he then borrowed against the property's equity. But Mr. Villone neglected to mention that eve-of-bankruptcy transfer in the statements he made under oath on Anvil's behalf. (See ECF No. 1, SOFA Part 2, No. 4 and Part 6, No. 13). Instead, Anvil-speaking through Mr. Villone-affirmatively represented that no "[p]ayments or transfers of property [were] made within 1 year before filing this case that benefited any insider." (ECF No. 1, SOFA Part 2, No. 4). An "insider" is defined to include the general partner of a partnership. (Id. ). Mr. Villone further represented that there were no "transfers of money or other property by sale, trade, or any other means made by the debtor or a person acting on behalf of the debtor within two years before the filing of this case to another person." (Id. , SOFA Part 6, No. 13). The real estate records maintained by the Monroe County Clerk suggest those representations by Mr. Villone to be false.
On January 14, 2018, Anvil filed an amended petition-presumably in response to the UST's motion. (ECF No. 29). The amended petition provides some information about furniture, equipment, and accounts. (Id. at Sch. A/B; SOFA Parts 2, 3, 7). And, the amended petition provides some information about the leasing activities of Anvil, but in an exceedingly careless manner. (Id. at Sch. A/B; Sch. G). A casual comparison of the leases Anvil listed in Schedule A/B, Part 2, Paragraph 8 with the leases Anvil listed in Schedule G shows that there are 6 more leases listed in Schedule A/B than in Schedule G. How is that possible?
And, while Anvil has now disclosed gross income of $ 71,875 for 2017 (ECF No. 1, at 22), Anvil has still failed to provide its balance sheet, statement of operations, cash-flow statement and Federal tax return, despite the statutory mandate requiring the filing of that documentation with the petition. (See
Even with the amended petition, there is no way for the Court, the UST, or creditors to make sense of Anvil's business operations because Anvil has not filed its balance sheet, statement of operations, cash flow statement, federal tax returns, and its operating reports for each of the months it has enjoyed bankruptcy protection. The docket makes the plethora of failings by Anvil as a debtor in possession incontrovertible. And the undisclosed eve-of-bankruptcy transfer of 37 Birch Crescent from Anvil to Mr. Villone raises serious concerns about whether Anvil-acting through Mr. Villone-is acting in bad faith, *628and whether the schedules and statements, sworn to by Mr. Villone on behalf of Anvil, are truthful and accurate, as required by Title 18 of the United States Code.
Despite having over a month to respond to the UST's motion, Anvil did not file any opposing papers. A disheveled Mr. Asandrov appeared on the return date of the UST's motion, seeking an adjournment to allow time for Anvil to file a response to the motion to convert or dismiss. Mr. Asandrov made puzzling references to Mr. Villone's "advanced age" (71 years old) and "serious cognitive issues" as the basis for his request for additional time. Counsel provided little else in the way of an explanation for the inconsistencies and misrepresentations found in Anvil's petition. Instead of filing a response, Anvil slapped together an amended petition, leaving largely unaddressed the faults detailed in the UST's motion-and doubling-down on swearing that no transfers of property to an insider had been made within the previous year.
III.
DISCUSSION
A. Cause Has Been Demonstrated Under
Dismissal or conversion of a Chapter 11 case must be granted under
The moving party bears the initial burden to establish, by a preponderance of the evidence, the existence of cause to convert or dismiss a Chapter 11 case. Rondaxe ,
*629Spencerport ,
B. Dismissal Serves the Best Interests of Creditors
The decision of whether to convert or dismiss this Chapter 11 case turns on which remedy will serve the best interests of creditors and the estate. Here, dismissal best serves those interests.
Anvil's estate consists of around 12 parcels of real property located in the City of Rochester. Most of the properties are burdened by liens for unpaid real estate taxes-many tax liens going back to 2012. Anvil paints a distorted picture of the value of the properties by listing only a single (modest) secured creditor in Schedule D. (ECF No. 29, at 16). But a casual glance at Schedule E/F makes it obvious that most of the creditors Anvil lists as "unsecured" are, in fact, creditors with tax liens on Anvil's real estate and public utilities with rights under
The City of Rochester, County of Monroe, and the third-party holders of tax liens should be permitted to pursue their rights and remedies under New York law. Anvil's fairly modest real estate holdings can be sold, or refinanced, or allowed to be foreclosed upon outside of bankruptcy-a situation that is likely to finally get the attention of Anvil's principal. Dismissal of this case, with a 240-day bar to Anvil filing a petition under Chapter 11 (including any successor to whom Anvil may transfer any of the properties in an effort to end-run this decision), will allow the holders of tax liens adequate time to complete foreclosures and the utility providers to take action under state law. It may also force Anvil to abandon its current business model, which seems to be the ownership of income-producing real estate, without the payment of real estate taxes or utility service bills.
*630C. A Referral by the UST Under Title 18 U.S.C. May Be Appropriate
In addition to dismissing this case, the Court requests that the UST consider making a referral of this case, under Title 18 U.S.C., to obtain a determination of whether a bankruptcy crime may have occurred with respect to this case. The statements filed by Anvil-speaking through Mr. Villone-affirmatively represent that no transfers of property were made by Anvil to a general partner within 1 year before the petition was filed. The real estate records for 37 Birch Crescent, maintained by the Monroe County Clerk, show that representation to be demonstrably false. Mr. Villone can't credibly feign forgetfulness. The tracks in the snow are all far too fresh for Mr. Villone to deny their existence.
IV.
CONCLUSION
The Court finds, in the exercise of its discretion, that dismissal of this case is in the best interests of the creditors and the estate. The motion of the UST is GRANTED under
IT IS SO ORDERED.
When pressed by the Court, Mr. Asandrov agreed that Mr. Villone's affirmative representation that no transfers of property to insiders had been made within one year of filing was not truthful. Mr. Asandrov also claimed that his staff carefully reviewed the real estate records maintained by the Monroe County Clerk before filing the Chapter 11 petition. Mr. Asandrov asked the Court to believe that somehow the (glaringly obvious) eve-of-bankruptcy transfer of 37 Birch Crescent was overlooked. The Court declines that invitation. Either Mr. Asandrov did no due diligence in verifying the facts contained in the petition (or the amended petition), as required by Rule 9011 FRBP, or he knew of the transfer and said nothing.
"An observer of men who finds himself steadily repelled by some apparently trifling thing in a stranger is right to give it great weight. It may be the clue to the whole mystery. A hair or two will show where a lion is hidden. A very little key will open a very heavy door." Charles Dickens, Hunted Down , Part II (1860).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN RE: ANVIL HOLDINGS LP, Debtor.
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published