Ex-carpet cleaner sues to recover more than $3.5 million
British Columbia's biggest lottery winner claims he was bilked of more than $3.5 million less than 18 months after the windfall, by false friends helped by two Vancouver lawyers and an accountant.
Tsering Luding, the carpet cleaner who scored $24 million from Super 7, says he was defrauded in a sophisticated sting featuring phony financial statements and $100,000 payments delivered in banded bills wrapped in plastic bags. He is trying to get it back through a B.C. Supreme Court civil suit.
Since it began December 2006, the fight has featured contempt of court charges, private-eye surveillance and explanations from the man at the heart of the alleged scam — "Dr. Bill Wong."
Wong, according to court documents, is a convicted sex offender who held himself out as a 30-year veteran in business acquisitions with a PhD in economics.
He is also known as William James Wong.
In documents filed in the B.C. Supreme Court, Luding says he met Wong and his wife, Susan, in the mid-1990s when they lived in Tsawwassen and he cleaned their home.
He looked up to the wealthy older man who wooed him with stories of his financial prowess and called him "little brother," the documents say.
Wong boasted of teaching at UBC and acting as an economic consultant to Paul Martin when Martin was prime minister, the documents say.
Luding claimed he saw Wong once or twice a year when he cleaned his home until he unexpectedly ran into him at a store in January 2005. They chatted amiably.
The following month, Luding won the lottery and Wong was among the first to call, he said in his statement of claim.
The families soon became close friends and in March 2006, Wong told Luding he had an opportunity to buy a telecommunications-supply company for $7 million and resell it for $20 million, the statement says.
The business was really worth about $700,000, it says.
In his claim, Luding insists the scam was buttressed by Wong's wife, lawyer Brian Poston, lawyer Mark Wolters and accountant David Bacic.
All of them, including both Wongs, have filed statements of defense denying any wrongdoing.
Luding's claim says:
Wong offered Luding a 50-per-cent interest in the supposed lucrative business-flip, involving Mil-Sted Communications Ltd., a small local cable-parts supplier.
Over the following months, however, Wong did not provide supporting financial documents to Luding's advisers.
On June 27, 2006, Luding's claim says, Wong visited him at home and emphasized the close nature of their relationship and the trust it was founded upon, and persuaded him to transfer $3.55 million the following day, against the advice of his advisers.
For the next few months, Luding says Wong continued to stall about providing financial data to confirm the sale and purchase price. On Nov. 24, Luding learned Wong had paid less than $600,000 because of a dispute over inventory.
"I was shocked," Luding said.
He maintains in his claim that Wong pocketed the money, paid off a $1.38-million mortgage on his home, bought a new $92,000 Hummer H2, gave his legal tag-team the bags of cash — $100,000 each — and secreted some in offshore bank accounts, perhaps in Luxembourg.
On June 29, 2006, the day after Luding's money arrived in his account, Wong dropped off the bundled bills to his lawyers, the claim says, adding that he paid off his mortgage the same day.
In documents filed in response to the suit, Wong says the money he gave Poston was "a gift" and the cash he gave Wolters "a retainer" for past and future legal fees.
The proceedings continue and a five-week trial is scheduled for October 2008.
He was blinded by greed. If it sounds too good to be true it usually is. Should have taken the advice of his advisors. With friends like that who needs enemies. Where is the wife in the picture?
I plan to just live off the interest, when I win a major jackpot to avoid headaches like this. Only cds, bank money market accounts, saving accounts, Interest checking, Gov. bonds and Health and Life insurance.
Yeah...I agree. My uncle won the NJ lottery back in 2006...walked away with $1.8 million after taxes.
He said he knew he would probably do something foolish, so he contacted his attorney and drew up a contract prohibiting the lottery office from wiring his money to his account for 90 days. He took the 90 days to cool off, calm down, continue working and maintain some sense of normalcy, and it worked. By the time he received the money, he had taken the time to think things through.
He used $300,000 to help out some relatives, and plopped the remaining $1.5 million into 3 money market accounts, with an average yield of 5.4 percent, so he's living on $80,000 a year. He also kept his job as a chemist, where he makes about $65,000 a year.
Major(Tsering) Luding and Susan Sekikawa deserved this and more. They are the most despicable representations of human beings. After they won their winnings, they taunted their own family memeber who is autistic. They said he was a debt to society and that he should of been aborted. They purposely severed ties so as to not aid in the well being or costs of aidng their own nephew. They were most insistent at the fact that since there is no cure to autism, "what's the point in wasting money on a retard." They've given to charities only as a tax right off. So those of you that are fooled by their outward appearance (ie giving to charity), it's all a facade much like their personalities. They are selfish, self-centered, greedy people and it doesn't surprise me in the least that like Ferengies from Star Trek, they're fighting tooth and nail to get their money back. The biggest irony of all, is that they claim to be buddist.
Major(Tsering) Luding and Susan Sekikawa deserved this and more. They are the most despicable representations of human beings. After they won their winnings, they taunted their own family memeber who is autistic. They said he was a debt to society and that he should of been aborted. They purposely severed ties so as to not aid in the well being or costs of aidng their own nephew. They were most insistent at the fact that since there is no cure to autism, "what's the point in wasting money on a retard." They've given to charities only as a tax right off. So those of you that are fooled by their outward appearance (ie giving to charity), it's all a facade much like their personalities. They are selfish, self-centered, greedy people and it doesn't surprise me in the least that like Ferengies from Star Trek, they're fighting tooth and nail to get their money back. The biggest irony of all, is that they claim to be buddist.
Wow i havent read anything like this about them before but since you are actually in canada im sure you have access to more information about them. i hope their autistic nephew does get the love and support he needs from other family members.
Susan Sekikawa is Major(Tsering) Luding's wife. She is an evil, evil woman. She likes to taunt defenseless, special needs children. She wished her autistic nephew was aborted. She purposely severed ties with her family because she thought that it was a waste of money to support a child with a condition that is incurable. Her exact quote was" why should I waste money on a retard. She believes that all special needs are a debt to society. She still has her kids going to Whiteside in Richmond (public school) so she can show off her money(4 different BMW"S and a H2 Hummer) She's so cheap/greedy that she uses after school programs that are geared for the average person instead of hiring tutors so she can flash her money to make herself feel better than everyone else. She has no regard for the safety of her own children. If this crook conned her, you never know if someone's watching their children who are in the general public. She's so blinded by her greed and arrogance.
How awful! Hope he gets his money back.
Lessons learned:
Don't venture into businesses you don't know about.
Look before you leap.
Easy come, easy go.
"and persuaded him to transfer $3.55 million the following day, against the advice of his advisors."
He was advised by his advisors not to participate in the business deal: Why hire advisors if you're not going to take their advice?
Stupid is, Stupid Does!
I agree. I hate crooks, but you gotta use your head.
He was blinded by greed. If it sounds too good to be true it usually is. Should have taken the advice of his advisors. With friends like that who needs enemies. Where is the wife in the picture?
Once again, I hope the thieves get punished with their hands being chopped off. At least he has learned a lesson and he didn't lose it all.
Bilked out of 3.5 million dollars... man oh man. That's just wong!
"All of them, including both Wongs, have filed statements of defense denying any wrongdoing."
Proving once again, two Wongs don't make it right.
I agree with the previous reply, why hire advisors if your not going to do what they say.
I plan to just live off the interest, when I win a major jackpot to avoid headaches like this. Only cds, bank money market accounts, saving accounts, Interest checking, Gov. bonds and Health and Life insurance.
Yeah...I agree. My uncle won the NJ lottery back in 2006...walked away with $1.8 million after taxes.
He said he knew he would probably do something foolish, so he contacted his attorney and drew up a contract prohibiting the lottery office from wiring his money to his account for 90 days. He took the 90 days to cool off, calm down, continue working and maintain some sense of normalcy, and it worked. By the time he received the money, he had taken the time to think things through.
He used $300,000 to help out some relatives, and plopped the remaining $1.5 million into 3 money market accounts, with an average yield of 5.4 percent, so he's living on $80,000 a year. He also kept his job as a chemist, where he makes about $65,000 a year.
Smart dude.
That's what happen's when you take the Wong advice!.
Major(Tsering) Luding and Susan Sekikawa deserved this and more. They are the most despicable representations of human beings. After they won their winnings, they taunted their own family memeber who is autistic. They said he was a debt to society and that he should of been aborted. They purposely severed ties so as to not aid in the well being or costs of aidng their own nephew. They were most insistent at the fact that since there is no cure to autism, "what's the point in wasting money on a retard." They've given to charities only as a tax right off. So those of you that are fooled by their outward appearance (ie giving to charity), it's all a facade much like their personalities. They are selfish, self-centered, greedy people and it doesn't surprise me in the least that like Ferengies from Star Trek, they're fighting tooth and nail to get their money back. The biggest irony of all, is that they claim to be buddist.
Wow i havent read anything like this about them before but since you are actually in canada im sure you have access to more information about them. i hope their autistic nephew does get the love and support he needs from other family members.
Susan Sekikawa is Major(Tsering) Luding's wife. She is an evil, evil woman. She likes to taunt defenseless, special needs children. She wished her autistic nephew was aborted. She purposely severed ties with her family because she thought that it was a waste of money to support a child with a condition that is incurable. Her exact quote was" why should I waste money on a retard. She believes that all special needs are a debt to society. She still has her kids going to Whiteside in Richmond (public school) so she can show off her money(4 different BMW"S and a H2 Hummer) She's so cheap/greedy that she uses after school programs that are geared for the average person instead of hiring tutors so she can flash her money to make herself feel better than everyone else. She has no regard for the safety of her own children. If this crook conned her, you never know if someone's watching their children who are in the general public. She's so blinded by her greed and arrogance.