Ryan Leslie accused of hiding funds in bankruptcy battle

R&B singer/producer Ryan Leslie has been accused of failing to report all of his earnings in his long-running bankruptcy battle.
The Diamond Girl star declared himself broke in 2013, but the case is still ongoing and now his biggest creditors are demanding a court order to make the musician explain where more than $53,500 (£41,600) of allegedly unreported cash deposits came from.
According to legal documents obtained by The Blast, Leslie received the funds in one of his bank accounts, and then reportedly took out just under $20,400 (£15,900) – an action prohibited by a previous court order.
Armin Augstein, who won a lawsuit against Leslie in 2012 for reneging on a finder’s fee reward for the return of his lost laptop, was involved in uncovering the finances as he was due to receive the producer’s royalties to help settle the debt.
Augstein claims the uncovered finances show the embattled star “intentionally deceived the Trustee about records and funds”, and that his alleged cash withdrawal “raises serious questions about whether Leslie should be denied a discharge in this case”. He wants the judge overseeing the proceedings to allow him to collect the funds available.
The news emerges months after the singer’s trustee raised queries about payments supposedly received earlier this year (18), and sought a subpoena forcing bosses at Chase Bank, where Leslie’s account is held, and label officials at Kobalt Music Selection, who paid out the royalty fees, to hand over all records relating to the account.
At the time, Leslie denied having any knowledge of the funds and claimed the Chase account was no longer in use.