Weavers level accusations against former CFO
5:26 p.m. Jan. 2, 2026
DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor
The founders of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and a related holding company have filed a civil lawsuit in Bedford County Chancery Court. They accuse the company’s former chief financial officer of running a years-long fraud that allegedly included forged documents, diverted funds, hidden liabilities, and unauthorized transfers of founder equity worth tens of millions of dollars.
Grant Sidney Inc., Uncle Nearest founder Fawn Weaver, and her husband Keith Weaver filed the complaint. It names former CFO Michael Senzaki and his company, ZMS Strategies Inc., as defendants. The plaintiffs say Senzaki used his trusted position and control over finances to benefit himself and cause serious financial and reputational harm to the founders.
Senzaki, who lives in Las Vegas, was a senior financial executive at Uncle Nearest during a time of fast growth and heavy use of credit. The complaint says he had almost complete control over financial reporting, lender communications, vendor payments, and equity records.
Alleged Scheme Involving Forged Signatures and Equity Transfers
The lawsuit claims Senzaki forged Fawn Weaver’s signature on several company and financial documents. It also says he transferred or used her earned equity without her knowledge or consent.
According to the filing, Weaver chose to take very little cash pay, sometimes even none, in exchange for equity. The plaintiffs say this was her main form of compensation since the company started. The complaint also says they later found forged stock transfer certificates that tried to reassign parts of Weaver’s equity to others without approval.
The plaintiffs also claim Senzaki used some of the allegedly stolen equity to get personal loans and other financial benefits not related to Uncle Nearest. They say he hid these transfers by falsifying records.
After Senzaki left in October 2024, both internal and outside investigations reportedly confirmed that some equity transfers had forged signatures and were not shown in official company records.
Concealed Vendor Liabilities and Diverted Payments
The lawsuit also describes a vendor diversion scheme. It claims Senzaki took advantage of a loophole in the company’s Bill.com payment system. The complaint says Weaver approved all vendor payments at weekly meetings, but after her approval, Senzaki changed payment amounts, only partly paid real vendors, and sent the rest of the money to companies he controlled, marking invoices as fully paid.
After Senzaki left, the plaintiffs say they found over $7 million in hidden vendor debts. They hired a temporary accounts-payable team to contact almost 400 vendors and figure out what was still owed.
The complaint says some hidden debts were covered up to make the company’s performance look better, which affected Senzaki’s pay. Others involved simply taking company funds.
Credit Facility Drawdowns and Lender Reporting
The lawsuit also claims Senzaki had sole control over a revolving credit line with Farm Credit Mid-America. This credit line grew from $35 million to almost $67 million between 2022 and 2023.
The filing says Senzaki made 28 withdrawals totaling nearly $67 million without telling Weaver at the time. The plaintiffs say Weaver was the main decision maker and largest equity holder. The complaint also says the lender did not check if Weaver knew about or approved these withdrawals.
The plaintiffs say financial reports sent to the lender hid operating costs and vendor debts, making the company’s finances look better than they were. The lawsuit claims these actions led to a false public story that blamed the founders for the company’s debt.
Alleged False Narrative and Personal Harm
The complaint says neither Fawn Weaver nor Keith Weaver personally guaranteed the company’s loans. Still, the plaintiffs claim Senzaki knowingly allowed a false story to spread, making it appear that the founders were responsible for Uncle Nearest’s financial problems.
The lawsuit says this false story caused real harm. Weaver reportedly lost over $1 million in speaking and professional opportunities. Keith Weaver says about $9.75 million in funding for his other business ventures was frozen because of reputation concerns.
The plaintiffs say Senzaki and others either spread or did not correct the false story to distract from the alleged fraud and make the disputed transactions seem legitimate.
Admissions Alleged in the Investigation
The complaint says Senzaki admitted some of the alleged misconduct to outside investigators. This included diverting funds and equity without permission and using company assets to buy real estate, vehicles, and for gambling. The filing says these admissions happened during an independent investigation into financial issues.
Claims and Requested Relief
The lawsuit lists several claims, such as breach of loyalty, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, defamation, and conspiracy. The plaintiffs want both compensatory and punitive damages, and they are also asking the court to stop the defendants from moving or hiding assets linked to the alleged misconduct.
The plaintiffs also say they may update the complaint to add more defendants as they learn more. They believe other people or companies may have knowingly taken part in or benefited from the alleged scheme.
Senzaki and ZMS Strategies Inc. have not filed a response.
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