Modi Latest: Three Jewelers File for Chapter 11

RAPAPORT…
Three companies in Nirav Modi’s jewelry empire — A. Jaffe, Firestar
Diamond, and Fantasy — have filed for bankruptcy in the US, with two of them
hoping to find buyers soon.




Indian investigators are probing allegations that Modi
defrauded Punjab National Bank of $1.8 billion by obtaining unauthorized loans.
The total amount could be about $200 million more than that, the lender said in
an update Monday.



A. Jaffe, a New York-based bridal-jewelry manufacturer, plans
to restructure under Chapter 11 to preserve its operations and keep a clear
separation between it and the allegations against Modi. The events in India “will in no way harm [our] brand commercially,” the company stressed in a statement Monday.



“A. Jaffe and its core team here in the US want to assure
partners and customers that A. Jaffe is not in any way involved with any of the
alleged conduct that is the subject of the accusations,” the company said. The
company’s liabilities are between $10 million and $50 million, according to the Chapter 11 filing it submitted the same day.



Firestar and Fantasy, which both manufacture jewelry, filed
for Chapter 11 protection to ensure stability of their operations and find a
buyer quickly, they explained in a statement Tuesday. The companies expect to agree
on a sale to one or more companies in the next week.



“The filings are a result of acute operational challenges
that the companies experienced when their supply chain was significantly
disrupted,” the statement continued.



Firestar listed liabilities of $50 million to $100 million,
while Fantasy’s estimate stood at $1 million to $10 million.