Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A company founded by former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has filed for bankruptcy, citing negative press and lawsuits by investors who call it a "scam perpetrated by savvy and politically connected operatives" to exploit overseas investors.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the bankruptcy filing by the electric car company cites $7.5 million won by 12 investors and pending lawsuits. It says GreenTech Automotive raised almost $142 million from investors from 2009 to 2013 as part of a visa program that offered immigrant investors permanent residency, and says investors were warned the status wasn't guaranteed.
It also says Watchdog.org articles prompted federal investigations and negative attention. GreenTech's 2013 $85 million lawsuit against Watchdog.org was dismissed.
The company shut down its Mississippi plant last year. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing also lists almost $5 million in debt owed to the state of Mississippi and Tunica County, which offered it economic development incentives to open a manufacturing facility there. The filing also points a finger at U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa. Grassley had raised national security concerns related to GreenTech's visa program usage. And yet another finger points at a 2015 lawsuit by an automotive parts company.
McAuliffe resigned from GreenTech in 2012, but featured the company prominently in his 2013 race.
A lawyer for GreenTech did not immediately respond to the newspaper's request for comment.
___
Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.richmond.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
