The path of money owed — and claims made making an attempt to gather them — that dogged Jim Justice nicely earlier than he turned West Virginia’s two-term Republican governor has ballooned for the reason that former billionaire turned a U.S. senator earlier this yr.
Justice was elected last November to the Senate seat vacated by the retiring Joe Manchin, a Democrat who turned an impartial in 2024 close to the tip of his second full time period.
Justice, who owns dozens of companies that embrace coal and agricultural operations, had a fortune estimated at $1.9 billion last decade by Forbes journal. Forbes stripped his billionaire title in 2021, when Justice’s price had dwindled to an estimated $513 million. Earlier this yr, Forbes estimated that Justice’s internet price had disintegrated to “lower than zero” attributable to liabilities that far exceeded property.
Throughout a briefing with native media on Thursday, Justice gave a rambling protection of his corporations, asserting that they “are sophisticated and sophisticated” and that his youngsters “are doing a powerful job” working them. He then repeated previous assertions that assortment efforts in opposition to him have been politically motivated, earlier than concluding:. “On the finish of the day, I’d say simply let or not it’s and see the way it all performs out.”
In latest weeks, the bandwagon of collectors claiming they’re owed cash by Justice or his corporations has gotten crowded.
On Oct. 2, the Inner Income Service filed liens totaling greater than $8 million in opposition to Justice and his spouse, Cathy, on unpaid private taxes that go way back to 2009. Politico was the primary to report on the liens.
Final month, state tax officers filed $1.4 million in liens in opposition to the Justice household’s historic resort, The Greenbrier, and the resort’s Greenbrier Sporting Membership, over unpaid gross sales taxes.
On Wednesday, a foreclosures public sale on a number of hundred heaps owned by the Justice household at a resort group close to Beckley was paused. The public sale, which had been scheduled for subsequent week, centered on a dispute between the Glade Springs Village Property Homeowners Affiliation and Justice Holdings over unpaid charges. The state Supreme Court docket plans to assessment the case extra carefully.
Justice’s corporations have handled the IRS earlier than, together with in 2021, when liens have been filed over $1.1 million in unpaid taxes on the Greenbrier Resort and an extra $80,000 on the resort’s medical clinic. These money owed have been paid off later that yr.
Final yr, Justice’s household settled money owed in a separate case to avoid the Greenbrier Hotel’s foreclosure. The 710-room resort, which has hosted U.S. presidents, royalty and congressional retreats, had come beneath risk of being auctioned off on the steps of a Lewisburg courthouse. That was after JPMorgan Chase bought a longstanding mortgage taken out by Justice to a credit score assortment firm, Beltway Capital, which declared it to be in default.
The state Democratic Occasion has stated efforts to grab the resort from Justice have been “a direct consequence of his personal monetary incompetence.”
Final yr, a union official on the Greenbrier stated that Justice’s household was at least $2.4 million behind in funds to an staff’ medical insurance fund, placing staff’ protection in danger. In 2023, dozens of properties owned by the Justice household in three counties have been auctioned as cost for delinquent actual property taxes. Others have sought to recoup thousands and thousands in fines for environmental points and unsafe working conditions at his company’s coal mines.
Justice purchased The Greenbrier resort out of chapter in 2009 for $20.1 million. The sporting membership is a non-public fairness membership and residential group on the property that opened in 2000.
The resort in White Sulphur Springs that dates to 1778 additionally has a on line casino, spa and dozens of facilities and employs round 2,000 staff. The resort held a PGA Tour golf event from 2010 till 2019 and has welcomed NFL groups for coaching camp and practices. A once-secret 112,000-square-foot (10,080-square-meter) underground bunker constructed for Congress on the Greenbrier in case of nuclear assault throughout the Chilly Struggle now hosts excursions.
Justice started serving the primary of his two phrases as governor in 2017, switching parties seven months after taking workplace. Early in his administration, he was sued for not residing within the governor’s mansion in Charleston as required by regulation, and when he was there, his record of accomplishments wasn’t notably lengthy or noteworthy.
Finally, the politician with the folksy method and a pet bulldog named Babydog by his aspect turned his consideration to profitable a Senate seat that nationwide Democrats just about conceded as quickly as Manchin determined to not run once more.
West Virginia has one of many highest poverty charges in america. It additionally lost the highest percentage of residents among any state over the previous decade, an exodus that price it a seat in Congress, and continued via Justice’s second time period, in response to U.S. Census Bureau inhabitants estimates.
