Dykstra: A Lying, Deceitful Fraud

JUNE 30--In what will come as little surprise to followers of the Lenny Dykstra saga, a court-appointed federal trustee charges that the former baseball star has lied under oath, improperly hid and sold assets, and repeatedly acted in a "fraudulent and deceitful manner" during his ongoing bankruptcy case.

Dykstra's behavior has been so egregious that the trustee, A. Cisneros, this month asked a bankruptcy court judge to deny Dykstra's request that his case be discharged (in a Chapter 11 petition filed last year, the ex-baseball star cited liabilities totaling $37.1 milllion).

In a United States Bankruptcy Court complaint, excerpted here, Cisneros charged that Dykstra improperly removed personal property from a California office, including antique desks, sports memorabilia, and a "four-foot tall electronically locked safe." Confronted by the trustee's lawyer, Dykstra "joked...that there was a lot of money in the safe," but that he had forgotten the combination. Along with failing to provide documents and blowing off court dates, Dykstra improperly sold off assets via eBay and Craigslist, and stripped his former Los Angeles residence of furnishings and fixtures.

When questioned under oath at an April creditors hearing, Dykstra claimed that two big-screen TVs, a pool table, watches, computers, and other furnishings were stolen from his home by the son of an ex-maid. Conveniently, Dykstra never bothered reporting this supposed heist to the police or his insurance company. Since the filing of his bankruptcy action, Dykstra "has continued in deceitful manner and made numerous false oaths," alleged Cisneros. (6 pages)