Summary: Actress Uma Thurman is beginning the fight against former financial adviser Kenneth Starr for fraud and her ex-fiancé Arpad Busson for custody rights.
Uma Thurman will need to plan a lot of time to be sitting in court this year. The actress is preparing to square off against her former financial adviser and her ex-fiancé in another case. Thurman’s financial adviser, Kenneth Starr is now a convicted felon.
She is accusing him of fraud and for the loss in millions from risky investments that she claims she was unaware of. She is seeking $2.48 million to be returned to her. The trustee of Starr’s estate is fighting back, arguing that she was fully aware of the risk in the investments. He managed her bills, taxes, investments, and other financial services.
Starr is the former accountant to celebrities like Natalie Portman, Sylvester Stallone, Liam Neeson, Barbara Walters, and more. He was sentenced to just over seven years in federal prison in September 2010 for wire fraud, investment adviser fraud, and money laundering. He was released early on December 8.
Thurman invested $1 million in GlobalOptions, a security and technology company. Another $1 million was invested into a company called Martini Park. This company was built to own and operate several martini bar lounges in urban areas like North Dallas and Chicago where young professionals tend to frequent. The company flopped. The remained of the money Thurman is seeking is for professional fees she paid Starr between 2006 and 2010, the time when he began defrauding his clients.
Starr’s trustee is now in the process of collecting money to pay off creditors, including by suing former clients for unpaid invoices. So far they have sued designer Isaac Mizrahi and photographer Annie Leibowitz.
Thurman is also in court for a custody battle with ex-fiancé Arpad Busson. He is attempting to stop Thurman from taking their four-year-old to Europe with her while she films a new movie.
Do you think Thurman is entitled to her money despite the fact that she signed the papers approving the investments? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn more about other financial advisers in trouble for fraud, read these articles:
- Jerome O’Hara and George Perez : Two Madoff Goons on Their Way to Jail
- Swiss Banker Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with U.S. Tax Evaders
- NASAA Reports Increasing Enforcement Actions against Investment Advisers
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