U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jeffrey Norman has issued an arrest warrant for Houston office landlord and investor Ali Choudhri for contempt of court, according to a Wednesday court filing.
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Norman demanded the U.S. Marshals Service arrest Choudhri, the founder and CEO of Jetall Cos., after Choudhri didn't produce court-ordered schedules and a statement of his financial affairs, according to the warrant.
The order was made in a case regarding the Chapter 7 bankruptcy of Jetall Cos.
That involuntary petition of bankruptcy against Jetall was made on Dec. 4 by a company that claimed it was owed about $100K for consulting services, according to court filings.
Norman is the same judge who called Choudhri “a forger and a liar” in a separate bankruptcy case last year. He is the second judge to threaten Choudhri with an arrest this month.
Choudhri also failed to produce documents subpoenaed by the Department of Justice, defying court orders. That led U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal to demand Choudhri appear in court April 7 with either the documents or a “proverbial toothbrush.”
Choudhri appeared at that hearing with new counsel and was granted an extension. He has since turned over several subpoenaed documents, though not all of them, according to court filings.
In the arrest warrant, Norman said the court “is only left with one remedy” to compel Choudhri’s compliance with the orders. Choudhri is expected to self-report by 9 a.m. Thursday, according to court minutes, though the warrant says that marshals are “authorized to use any force reasonably necessary to take Ali Choudhri into custody.”
Choudhri should be released when he corrects his violation of the court order, the warrant says.
Jetall once claimed to be the largest private owner of commercial office space in Houston's Galleria submarket. Its CEO has been involved in a long list of litigation in recent years regarding many of those properties.
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