Information for Creditors of Front Sight Management, LLC
Case Number 22-11824 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada
DEBTOR WAS FORMED IN 1996 AND IS STILL DEVELOPING
The initial papers filed in the bankruptcy case include a declaration from the Debtor’s sole manager and 100% owner, Ignatius Piazza. According to his declaration, Front Sight Management, LLC, doing business as Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, was first formed in 1996 in California. In 1998, the Debtor acquired 550 acres of land and approximately 500 acre feet of water rights in Pahrump, Nevada. The Debtor later completely relocated from California to Nevada.
On the property in Pahrump, NV, the Debtor has built “what is now the finest and largest private firearms training facility in the world,” according to Mr. Piazza. The Front Sight property is “currently comprised of 50 outdoor firearms training ranges, live fire tactical training simulators, an 8,000 square foot classroom and pro shop, and assorted accessory buildings, bathrooms, three water wells and thousands of square yards of completed grading for future development.”
The Debtor provides firearms instruction, classes, and practice facilities to upward of 40,000 different individuals each year. Since it began operations, the Debtor has trained over 1 million students. It currently has over 260,000 members who pay for use of the Debtor’s facilities. While it has obviously had some success, the Debtor still has big plans for expansion and additional operations. It hopes to build a Vacation Club & Resort, including an RV Park and retail area, on some its existing land to cater to its customers and create an additional revenue stream.
THE DEBTOR’S DISPUTE WITH LVDF
In pursuit of its dream to develop a vacation club and resort on the Front Sight property, the Debtor tried to find funding. However, since the Debtor is in the business of providing firearms instruction, many traditional lenders were unable or unwilling to lend money to the Debtor. Despite its inability to find traditional funding, the Debtor continued to pursue its vision and tried to solicit funding from alternative sources.
To that end, in 2012, the Debtor was approached by Robert W. Dziubla and John Fleming, doing business as Las Vegas Development Fund LLC (“LVDF”). LVDF told the Debtor that it could raise up to $150 million in funding at a low interest rate that the Debtor could use to develop its Vacation Club & Resort. The funding was apparently going to be raised from foreign investors. LVDF claimed that it had a lot of experience doing foreign fundraising and that it could get funding for the Debtor in under a year.
The Debtor advanced over $500,000 to LVDF to pay fees and expenses associated with the fundraising, including government compliance fees related to accepting foreign investments and advertising costs. Rather than successfully raising $150 million in one year as promised, though, LVDF only ever provided the Debtor with $6.3 million between 2012 and today. The two sides both assert wrongdoing by the other. State court litigation has been pending since August 2018. Ultimately, the Debtor filed for bankruptcy in order to prevent the foreclosure of its property and to settle its dispute with LVDF once and for all.
WHAT CAN UNSECURED CREDITORS DO IN A CONTESTED BANKRUPTCY?
The events precipitating the filing of the bankruptcy case on May 24, 2022 consisted of over 4 years of state court litigation between the Debtor and its lender, as well as an impending foreclosure of the Debtor’s property. Both the Debtor and LVDF claim to have spent over $1 million in attorneys’ fees before the filing of the bankruptcy case. Given this substantial litigation and expense, it is very likely that the bankruptcy will also be contested.
When a Debtor and secured lender are very litigious, it can sometimes feel like unsecured creditors’ voices will get lost. This does not have to be the case, however. Unsecured creditors are permitted to work together by forming a committee of unsecured creditors. A committee, once it is formed, has the ability to hire attorneys who are paid for by the Debtor, not the individual unsecured creditors. A committee is tasked with advocating for the rights of all unsecured creditors.
When a committee is involved in a case that is contentious between a debtor and its secured lender, the outcome for unsecured creditors usually improves. This is particularly true when the committee hires experienced counsel. If you want more information about this case or committees generally, please contact PRLT for a no obligation consultation.
PRLT does not represent Front Sight Management, LLC or any of its affiliates. The content on this page is provided for informational purposes only. Nothing on this page or this website creates an attorney/client relationship between you and PRLT. Nothing on this page is legal advice. If you have any questions about the Front Sight bankruptcy case or anything discussed on this page, please contact us.