Where Is Matt Lloyd Now?

What’s Matt Lloyd up to today? Trying to avoid prison and destitution is the executive summary.

Last time I wrote on Matt, he was trying to pitch his services as a “big ticket” business and marketing consultant… but that didn’t go anywhere. Not once, as I suspect, the FTC appointed receiver tasked with liquidating MOBE got wind of it.

Ole thieving Matt is still out in Malaysia, still hiding under the bed in his Kuala Lumpur condominium, still trying to cling onto as much of his ill-gotten gains as he can.

But that condo, that other people’s money netted him in his ponzi scheme, is in danger of getting sold out from under his ass.

But first you might be wondering how he can be “hiding out”, if the address where he’s living is known.

I think it’s more that he’s hiding out, as in avoiding the US authorities, and avoiding travelling anywhere he might be immediately detained upon setting foot on the ground.

Matt’s been negotiating with the receiver via his legal team, who abandoned his representation last year, following an unpaid $35,000 bill. So they’ll have to get in line to file their own claim against Matt, too.

It’s in Matt’s interests to avoid a trial, in which he’d get shredded, so a settlement with the receiver and FTC is preferable.

It’s in the interests of the FTC as well, as a settlement is the faster route to reclaiming the money swindled by MOBE, and redistributing it amongst the victims of the scheme.

Where the receiver has been able to freeze and take control of assets owned by Matt Lloyd, he has.

However, due to some of these assets being overseas, and thus under foreign jurisdiction, and that Matt purchased the assets under a third party’s name, all sorts of legal ramifications are thrown up.

These difficulties wouldn’t necessarily prevent the receiver from eventually gaining control of the wanted assets, but it was acknowledged that it could take years of legal wrangling to do so. Those years of wrangling would entail years of legal bills for Matt, and he’d really rather avoid that. Avoid bankrupting himself in the process of trying to keep his assets, which he’d end up losing anyway.

Thus both sides were willing to strike a deal on four specific properties and investments Matt owns.

Matt’s tried hard to hold onto those assets, but he also knows the FTC/receiver won’t give up, and the US government has more resources than he does to keep pursuing the matter in court, so he raised the white flag.

The assets in question are two apartments in Malaysia, and interests in holiday resorts in Fiji re the hotel Serenity Island, and the Sunset Del Mar hotel in Costa Rica. Names which should be familiar to MOBE members.

These resorts are reported to be in a poor financial state as they were used to host MOBE’s seminars and events, and since MOBE’s demise that income has vanished.

So Matt was lining his pockets at all ends of the spectrum. He was hosting MOBE events in hotels he’d a financial interest in, thus getting the financial kickback from having a hotel full of guests, and pocketing the attendance fees required of those participating in his MOBE shindigs.

That’s really taking the piss.

Spot the difference

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The Deal

The deal struck basically passes ownership of Matt’s interests to the receiver, but with a grace period that allows Matt to buy them back at a preferred price. During that period, Matt retains the exclusive right to buy.

The housing properties, rather than the resorts, are of most interest to the receiver. That’s because the resorts are in a remote location, they’re struggling financially, and the process of acquiring Matt’s share under a foreign jurisdiction is difficult.

As to the housing properties, the receiver is to take possession of Matt’s home but he’ll reserve the exclusive right to re-purchase the property within 270 days, at 70% of the 2016 purchase price. After 120 days, the price will increase periodically (but the increases aren’t stated), and if Matt fails to buy back the property within the 270 days allowed, then the receiver is free to sell it and retain all monies from the sale.

The second property, also in Malaysia, Matt is to sell to a third party within 45 days for a minimum agreed amount (undisclosed). If he fails to sell within that time frame, the receiver takes full possession and proceedings from any sale.

If he sells, then 60% is to be used to cover MOBE’s Malaysian tax bill and accountants, and the remaining 40% goes into the receiver’s coffers.

However, what disturbed me was the use of the word “excess” in the agreement: “Assuming the sale went through and netted a required minimum amount, 40 percent of the excess would be paid to the Receiver and 60 percent would be used to pay MOBE’s Malaysian tax liabilities and accountants.”

I read that as it’s the excess on the required minimum amount that will be used for those 40/60 payments. Meaning what’s made over and above the required minimum netted amount. So Matt Lloyd will be pocketing that “minimum amount” then, whatever that figure is.

And further to that, $35,000 is to come out of the receiver’s proceeds to cover Matt’s lawyers’ bills in the US.

That doesn’t sit well with me. That money should be coming out of whatever Matt makes off the sale in my opinion, not coming out of funds intended to repay his victims.

The resort sales pretty much follow the same deal. The receiver is to take possession of both resorts, and Matt is to be given a fixed time within which he can buy back his interests, with the receiver free to sell and retain all proceedings should Matt fail to come up with the funds within 270 days.

For Fiji, an agreed price has been set that must be met within 120 days, increasing periodically if the purchase price is not produced within that time.

The same is true of the Costa Rica resort, of which Matt owns 49%, where he has 180 days to re-purchase his interest at a “discounted price”. However, there’s a proviso within the Costa Rica deal, in that if the resort is not properly managed during the 270 days (continues losing money I presume), then the receiver can proceed with seeking a third party purchaser and retain all monies.

Apparently, Matt’s trying to raise funds to keep some, or all, of his properties and holdings.

You’d think his credit rating would be shot. Not sure who he thinks would loan him money with his reputation.

I’d wish him good luck on that – getting a loan – but I wouldn’t mean it.

Matt Lloyd is a total piece of shit, so I can’t really muster any sympathy for him.

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Matt’s Owed A Tax Refund

It looks like Matt previously overpaid both the Malaysian and Australian taxman out of his MOBE swag.

According to the receiver’s report, it appears he’s owed a very large sum from Malaysia: $140,000 of any expected refund is to go straight the receiver, Matt to get the next $10,000, and anything over and above that, is to be split 60/40 between Matt and the receiver.

Matt fares less well in Australia, with the receiver allotted the full proceeds of the refund, save for $1,500 which will be directed to Matt’s Ozzie accountants.

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Receiver Acknowledges Deal Will Piss Off Victims

The receiver says he recognises that showing such charity to Matt Lloyd will raise concerns, but if he didn’t strike a deal, then all this would drag on for years.

The receiver needed Matt Lloyd’s help in selling off the proceeds of his fraudulent business, and Matt wanted to avoid bankruptcy via lawyers’ bills, so the two struck a deal. It’s not ideal, but it still hurts Matt Lloyd.

Even if Matt can raise the funds, what’s he got? A share in two financially ailing resorts that relied on his seminars to make money, and two properties, one of which is his home that he’s residing in with the receiver’s sword dangling over his head.

I doubt the resorts are of much interest minus MOBE, it’d be keeping his home that’d be his top priority. There’s no guarantee he’ll raise the funds required, he’s just got a grace period to try and come up with them.

That money will have to check out too, he can’t just produce it from under his mattress or wherever else he may have something squirrelled away. If the receiver gets a hint it’s anything less than legit, that money will be gone too.

A lot of money has been clawed back from MOBE. At one point, more than $10m is listed in the receiver’s spreadsheet.

That’s didn’t all come from Matt, but he had a big bit to chip in.

He hasn’t quite been reduced to rags, but the riches have largely gone.

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Final Thoughts

Of course you can’t help but speculate if there’s more money out there… and one wonders why the receiver didn’t go after John Chow and Shaqir Hussyin, too. Even if they didn’t make as much as they claimed, they still made enough to be worthy of attention, I’d have thought.

Their compatriots at MOBE haven’t fared so well: Steven Bransfield is bankrupt, and Russell Whitney dead with his estate left to settle with the receiver.

I don’t know the circumstances surrounding Whitney’s death, but have read the speculation and seen the rumoured drug report.

MOBE ruined a lot of people and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s blood on the hands of those who profited from it.

This is far from over yet. There’s still the divvying up of the fund amongst those who made a claim against MOBE. Those folks will maybe get something back, but certainly not all of it.

They can’t if the likes of Chow and Hussyin haven’t been pursued for what they gained from the scam.

Anyway, I’ll check up on Matt Lloyd’s housing arrangements later in the year.

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