{"id":"court_sdny_749_0","court":"SDNY","case_no":"23-cr-00118","doc_number":749,"sub_number":0,"doc_type":"ORDER","filed_date":"2025-09-16","title":"UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK \\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\","summary_zh":"第三方权益认定申请 —— 美国诉 Ho Wan Kwok（郭文贵 / Guo Wengui / Miles Guo）案，SDNY 1:23-cr-00118 ECF #749（2025年9月16日立案）。汽车经销商 Post Oak Motors, LLC 依据 21 U.S.C. §853(n) 及联邦刑事诉讼规则 32.2(c) 提出申请，主张其对政府拟没收的一辆布加迪 Chiron Super Sport（VIN VF9SW3V3XNM795047）享有优先所有权——该车原拟出售给 G Club International Limited，但交易未完成、产权始终留在 Post Oak 名下；申请人请求法院将该车排除在没收令之外并责令政府返还。","summary_en":"Third-party interest petition — United States v. Ho Wan Kwok (Guo Wengui / Miles Guo), SDNY 1:23-cr-00118, ECF No. 749 (filed September 16, 2025). Auto dealer Post Oak Motors, LLC petitioned under 21 U.S.C. §853(n) and Fed. R. Crim. P. 32.2(c), asserting superior title to a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport (VIN VF9SW3V3XNM795047) the government seeks to forfeit — the vehicle had been intended for sale to G Club International Limited, but the sale was never completed and title remained with Post Oak — and requesting that the vehicle be excluded from the forfeiture order and returned.","body_en":"# **UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK**\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\n|                            | : |                        |\n|----------------------------|---|------------------------|\n| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,  | : |                        |\n|                            | : |                        |\n| Plaintiff,                 | : |                        |\n|                            | : |                        |\n| vs.                        | : | No. 1:23-cr-00118 (AT) |\n|                            | : |                        |\n| MILES GUO AND YVETTE WANG, | : |                        |\n|                            | : |                        |\n| Defendants.                | : |                        |\n|                            | : |                        |\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_## **POST OAK MOTORS, LLC'S VERIFIED PETITION FOR DETERMINATION OF THIRD-PARTY INTEREST IN PROPERTY SUBJECT TO PRELIMINARY FORFEITURE ORDER**\n\nPost Oak Motors, LLC d/b/a Post Oak Motor Cars, Ltd. and Bugatti Houston (\"Post Oak\"), through its attorneys Finn Dixon & Herling LLP, petitions this Court pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 853(n) and Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(c) and asserts its superior right, title, and interest to specific property subject to this Court's Preliminary Order of Forfeiture as to Specific Property/Money Judgment, ECF 720 (the \"Preliminary Forfeiture Order\").\n\n# **NATURE OF ACTION**\n\n1. This is a petition to establish Post Oak's ownership of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport bearing the Vehicle Identification Number VF9SW3V3XNM795047 (the \"Bugatti\") that the government erroneously seeks to forfeit.\n\n2. Post Oak is an automotive dealership that specializes in rare and exotic vehicles, and high-value vehicle maintenance. Post Oak is an authorized retailer for Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., d/b/a Bugatti Automobiles of the Americas, and Volkswagen of America, Inc., d/b/a Bugatti Automobiles USA (together, \"Bugatti Automobiles\"). As an authorized retailer, Post Oak\n\norders and purchases bespoke vehicles, like the Bugatti, from Bugatti Automobiles for re-sale to Post Oak's customers.\n\n3. Post Oak entered an agreement with G Club International Limited (\"G Club\") to sell G Club a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport. Post Oak in turn entered an agreement with Bugatti Automobiles to purchase a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport.\n\n4. Post Oak paid Bugatti Automobiles in full for the Bugatti and accepted delivery of the Bugatti at its dealership, thereby acquiring title to the vehicle.\n\n5. However, G Club never took title from Post Oak, as the sale of the Bugatti from Post Oak to G Club was never consummated. While G Club paid Post Oak the amounts due to Post Oak under the agreement, G Club never accepted delivery of the Bugatti (as is required to transfer title under applicable law), never provided necessary information for Post Oak to register the Bugatti in the name of G Club or any individual, and never received a certificate of title to the Bugatti. Post Oak therefore retains title to the Bugatti.\n\n6. After Post Oak paid Bugatti Automobiles for the vehicle in full and accepted delivery, Post Oak maintained possession, custody, and control of the Bugatti at its dealership until it was seized by the United States Marshals (the \"Marshals\"). Post Oak fully cooperated with the Marshals in their seizure of the Bugatti. Post Oak also cooperated extensively with the government in its investigation of G Club's attempt to purchase the Bugatti. After the Bugatti was seized, Post Oak has continued to cooperate by providing testimony through its representative at Defendant Miles Guo's criminal trial and by performing regular maintenance on the Bugatti.\n\n7. Despite its good faith purchase of the Bugatti from Bugatti Automobiles, Post Oak has now been placed in an unjust and untenable position by duplicative claims from the government in this forfeiture matter and from the chapter 11 trustee appointed in Defendant Guo's\n\nbankruptcy proceedings pending in the District of Connecticut (the \"Trustee\"), both of whom purport to be acting in the interests of Defendant Guo's creditors and victims. The government seeks to forfeit a vehicle Post Oak paid for and to which it retains title under the law, while the Trustee has asserted claims against Post Oak seeking to recover funds paid by G Club toward its purchase of the Bugatti—funds Post Oak no longer has because they were passed in good faith almost immediately to Bugatti Automobiles to satisfy the purchase price Post Oak owed for its purchase of the vehicle. *See Despins as Chapter 11 Trustee v. Post Oak Motors, LLC*, No. 24- 05017 (Bankr. D. Conn. Feb. 9, 2024).\n\n8. Because the government seeks to forfeit the vehicle, which Post Oak still owns, while the Trustee seeks the funds paid by G Club, which Post Oak used to purchase the vehicle from Bugatti Automobiles, Post Oak is in an impossible position and has no choice but to petition the Court to confirm its ownership of the Bugatti. Post Oak does not seek any windfall through these proceedings: by establishing its ownership of the Bugatti and obtaining its return, Post Oak seeks only to protect itself against millions of dollars in losses as a result of nothing more than its good faith participation in what it reasonably believed at the time was a routine transaction.\n\n#### **PARTIES**\n\n9. Post Oak is a Texas limited liability company with its principal place of business in Texas.\n\n10. Defendant Guo is one of the two defendants in this criminal action. According to the government's allegations, Defendant Guo is affiliated with G Club, ECF 2 ¶ 10, the entity with which Post Oak contracted for the sale of the Bugatti.\n\n11. The United States of America is prosecuting Defendant Guo and has obtained the Preliminary Forfeiture Order, which it seeks to enforce against Post Oak's property.\n\n# **PROCEDURAL HISTORY**\n\n12. On information and belief, on March 15, 2023, Defendant Guo was arrested pursuant to an indictment filed on March 6, 2023. *See* ECF 2. The indictment charged Defendant Guo with several counts including conspiracy, wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering.\n\n*Id.* The indictment also contained the following forfeiture allegations:\n\n[Defendants] shall forfeit to the United States, pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 981(a)(l)(C) and Title 28 United States Code, Section 2461(c), any and all property, real and personal, that constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to the commission of said offenses, including but not limited to a sum of money in United States currency representing the amount of proceeds traceable to the commission of said offenses and, and [sic] the following specific property:\n\n…\n\nA Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, bearing Vehicle Identification Number VF9SW3V3XNM795047[.]\n\n*Id.* ¶ 54(w).\n\n13. On July 16, 2024, the jury found Defendant Guo guilty on Counts One (Racketeering Conspiracy), Two (Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud or Bank Fraud), Three (Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering), Four (Conspiracy to Commit Securities Fraud), Seven (Wire Fraud for a Farm Loan Program), Eight (Securities Fraud for a Farm Loan Program), Nine (Wire Fraud related to \"G|Clubs\"), Ten (Securities Fraud related to \"G|Clubs\"), and Eleven (Wire Fraud related to the Himalaya Exchange). ECF 395.\n\n14. On August 11, 2025, the Court entered the Preliminary Forfeiture Order against Defendant Guo.<sup>1</sup> The Preliminary Forfeiture Order preliminarily forfeited to the government all of\n\n<sup>1</sup> The Bugatti was previously identified in the Consent Preliminary Order of Forfeiture as to Specific Property/Money Judgment as against Defendant Yvette Wang. *See* ECF 488, at ¶ aa. The government thereafter requested that the forfeiture matters as to Defendant Wang be stayed pending entry of the Preliminary Forfeiture Order as to Defendant Guo. ECF 671. Post Oak timely secured the government's agreement that any petition with respect to the Bugatti would be filed in connection with the Preliminary Forfeiture Order as to Defendant Guo.\n\nthe Defendant's right, title, and interest to the Bugatti, subject to the adjudication of third-party interests. ECF 720.\n\n### **BACKGROUND**\n\n#### **I. Post Oak's Business**\n\n15. Post Oak is a luxury automotive dealership that sells exotic vehicles and \"hypercars,\" high-performance cars boasting advanced automotive technology that are generally manufactured in limited production allocations and typically sell for millions of dollars.\n\n16. Hypercars are often manufactured on a bespoke basis. Instead of purchasing a car from a dealership's inventory, purchasers contact dealerships to order a vehicle configured by the manufacturer to the purchaser's desired specifications. These specifications can include interior and exterior colors, material used in the wheels and trim, accessories, and other details. The car is then manufactured pursuant to the specifications, and purchased by the dealership for re-sale to the customer.\n\n17. Bugatti manufactures hypercars, including the Chiron model. The Bugatti Chiron was produced in a limited production run of just 500 vehicles across all trim levels. One such trim level of the Bugatti Chiron is the Super Sport, of which fewer than 100 were manufactured.\n\n#### **II. Post Oak's Relationship with Bugatti Automobiles**\n\n18. Post Oak is party to a Retailer Agreement with Bugatti Automobiles, which allows Post Oak to act as an authorized dealer of vehicles manufactured by Bugatti Automobiles, including the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport.\n\n19. The Retailer Agreement incorporates certain Standard Provisions and Retailer Operating Standards, which, among other things, govern Post Oak's dealings with Bugatti Automobiles and certain aspects of its operation of its dealership and the sales of vehicles manufactured by Bugatti Automobiles to Post Oak's customers.\n\n20. Under the Retailer Agreement, Post Oak is permitted to purchase vehicles from Bugatti Automobiles for re-sale to Post Oak's customers, pursuant to purchase terms established by Bugatti Automobiles.\n\n21. The Retailer Agreement is governed by Texas law.\n\n22. Vehicles are considered \"goods,\" and therefore transactions involving vehicles are subject to the Texas Business and Commerce Code, the version of the Uniform Commercial Code (\"UCC\") adopted in Texas. Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 2.105(a) (defining \"Goods\" as \"all things (including specially manufactured goods) which are movable at the time of identification to the contract for sale other than the money in which the price is to be paid, investment securities (Chapter 8) and things in action.\"); *One Ford Mustang, VIN 1FAFP40471F207859 v. Texas*, 231 S.W.3d 445, 451 (Ct. App. Tex. 2007) (\"Motor vehicles necessarily fit within this definition [of 'goods'].\") (citing Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 2.105(a)).\n\n23. Under the Texas Business and Commerce Code, title to a vehicle passes upon physical delivery of the vehicle unless agreed otherwise by the parties. Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 2.401(a) (\"[T]itle to goods passes from the seller to the buyer in any manner and on any conditions explicitly agreed on by the parties.\"); *id.* at § 2.401(b) (\"Unless otherwise explicitly agreed title passes to the buyer at the time and place at which the seller completes his performance with reference to the physical delivery of the goods.\"); *see also, e.g.*, *First Nat. Bank of El Campo, Tx v. Buss*, 143 S.W.3d 915, 920 (Tex. App. 2004) (\"The Code provides, unless otherwise explicitly agreed, that title passes to the buyer at the time and place at which the seller completes performance with reference to the physical delivery of the goods.\") (citing Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 2.401(b)).\n\n24. Here, Post Oak and Bugatti Automobiles agreed expressly as to when title to the Bugatti purchased by Post Oak would transfer from Bugatti Automobiles to Post Oak.\n\n25. According to the Retailer Agreement, title to vehicles purchased by Post Oak from Bugatti Automobiles remains with Bugatti Automobiles until Bugatti Automobiles receives the purchase price in full.\n\n26. Specifically, the Retailer Agreement provides that: (i) in the event a vehicle is delivered to Post Oak prior to receipt of the entire purchase price, Bugatti Automobiles retains a purchase price security interest in the vehicle; (ii) upon delivery of the vehicle to Post Oak, Post Oak assumes, and must insure against, all risks to the vehicle; and (iii) upon payment of the purchase price in full, title transfers to Post Oak.\n\n#### **III. G Club Agrees to Purchase the Bugatti from Post Oak**\n\n27. A dealership in the United Kingdom, H.R. Owen, contacted Post Oak because its customer, Mileson Guo, and his company G Club were interested in purchasing a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport configured for use in the United States. H.R. Owen required a U.S. retailer to handle the transaction.\n\n28. Post Oak had no prior knowledge of or dealings with Defendant Guo or G Club and accepted the referral from H.R. Owen.\n\n29. At the time of the referral, G Club provided H.R. Owen with a configuration of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport it sought to purchase, reflected in a Personal Configuration dated October 25, 2021.\n\n30. On October 28, 2021, Post Oak and G Club (through Limarie Reyes, the Chief Executive Officer of G Club), executed a Supplemental Terms of Purchase for a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport (the \"Supplemental Terms\"), which, among other things, contemplated a series of deadlines for G Club to make payments to Post Oak toward the purchase price of the Bugatti. The\n\nSupplemental Terms also included the final configuration of the Bugatti to be ordered by Post Oak from Bugatti Automobiles.\n\n31. Post Oak received a small commission from Bugatti Automobiles for its work on the transaction, which it split with H.R. Owen.\n\n#### **IV. Post Oak Orders, Pays For, and Accepts Delivery of the Bugatti**\n\n32. Relying on G Club's agreement to the Supplemental Terms, Post Oak placed an order for the Bugatti with Bugatti Automobiles, and received invoices from Bugatti Automobiles for the amounts due from Post Oak.\n\n33. Following receipt of a series of payments from G Club for the Bugatti, in December 2022 Post Oak made the final payment due to Bugatti Automobiles for Post Oak's purchase of the vehicle.\n\n34. Pursuant to the Retailer Agreement, title passed from Bugatti Automobiles to Post Oak once the vehicle was paid for in full.\n\n35. The transfer of title from Bugatti Automobiles to Post Oak is further evidenced by the issuance on January 5, 2023 of a Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin (\"MCO\") for the Bugatti, certifying that the Bugatti was transferred to Post Oak Motor Cards, Ltd.\n\n36. The Bugatti was delivered to Post Oak on January 10, 2023. Post Oak accepted the delivery.\n\n37. As title holder and pursuant to the terms of the Retailer Agreement, all risks with respect to the Bugatti were borne by Post Oak upon delivery of the vehicle to its premises. Post Oak maintained insurance for the Bugatti, and was required to perform complex and costly maintenance of the vehicle on a regular basis.\n\n38. Post Oak's facilities include surveilled garages with controlled access points, and Post Oak utilizes a digital lockbox to safeguard the keys to the vehicles in its inventory. In short,\n\nPost Oak had possession, custody, and control of the Bugatti in addition to having title to the Bugatti.\n\n# **V. Post Oak's Sale of the Bugatti to G Club was Never Consummated**\n\n39. Despite Post Oak's receipt of the funds due from G Club under its agreement to purchase the Bugatti, Post Oak's sale of the Bugatti to G Club was never consummated.\n\n40. The Supplemental Terms designate the application of Virginia law. However, the distinction between the Texas and Virgina versions of the UCC is irrelevant here.<sup>2</sup> In both jurisdictions, title to a vehicle passes upon physical delivery, unless the parties explicitly agree otherwise. *Compare* Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 2.401(b) (\"Unless otherwise explicitly agreed title passes to the buyer at the time and place at which the seller completes his performance with reference to the physical delivery of the goods\") *with* Va. Code 8.2-401(2) (same).\n\n41. The agreement between Post Oak and G Club does not contain any agreement regarding the passing of title. To the contrary, the Supplemental Terms provide that Post Oak will provide notice to G Club when the vehicle is available for G Club to take possession, and that G Club is required to take possession of the vehicle within a certain time period of receiving such notice. Therefore, the default rule under the UCC controls here: title would pass upon Post Oak's delivery of the Bugatti to G Club.\n\n42. But Post Oak never delivered the Bugatti. Although Post Oak attempted to elicit the necessary information from G Club to finalize the delivery, G Club stopped responding to Post\n\n<sup>2</sup> As in Texas, in Virginia motor vehicles qualify as \"goods\" and are governed by Virgina's version of the UCC. Va. Code § 8.2-105(1) (defining \"Goods\" as \"all things (including specially manufactured goods) which are movable at the time of identification to the contract for sale other than the money in which the price is to be paid, investment securities (Title 8.8A) and things in action.\"); *see also, e.g., Manassas Autocars, Inc. v. Couth*, 274 Va. 82 (2007) (applying the UCC as adopted in Virginia to a dispute over a vehicle).\n\nOak, and the delivery was never completed. Therefore, title to the vehicle never passed from Post Oak to G Club.\n\n43. Post Oak retained possession, custody, and control of the Bugatti until May 11, 2023, when Post Oak cooperated with the government in its seizure of the vehicle.\n\n44. G Club's failure to take delivery was a significant missing step in the contemplated transaction, implicating not only the transfer of title, but various other rights and obligations.\n\n45. The fact that title to the Bugatti was never transferred to G Club is further evidenced by Post Oak's retention and current possession of the MCO.\n\n46. An MCO, also sometimes known as a Manufacturer's Statement of Origin or MSO, is a necessary step in obtaining a title for a vehicle. In order to register a car after a purchase, the relevant state's Departments of Motor Vehicles (\"DMV\") or analogous state agency requires the MCO to establish the vehicle's origin and the chain of ownership, first from the manufacturer to the dealership, and then in turn from the dealership to the purchaser. Only on receipt of the MCO will a DMV issue a certificate of title and registration to the vehicle's new owner.\n\n47. That did not happen here. Post Oak never provided the MCO to G Club or any affiliated individual, and neither G Club nor anyone affiliated with it ever received title to the Bugatti.\n\n48. Until the government's seizure of the Bugatti, Post Oak continued to insure the vehicle and bear all risks. Indeed, Post Oak has continued to service the Bugatti even after the government seized it.\n\n49. After seizure of the vehicle, Post Oak continued to cooperate with the government in connection with Defendant Guo's trial. Lonny Soza, Post Oak's General Manager based in\n\nTexas, met with prosecutors on two separate occasions and testified at Defendant Guo's trial in New York on June 6, 2024 regarding Post Oak's dealings with G Club.\n\n# **VI. The Government's Erroneous Claim to the Bugatti**\n\n50. The Preliminary Forfeiture Order includes the Bugatti in the list of assets regarding which the government \"seeks the forfeiture of all Defendant's right, title, and interest.\"\n\n51. But the government has no claim to the Bugatti because Defendant Guo never had any right, title, or interest in the Bugatti that could be forfeited to the government. First, the prospective purchaser of the Bugatti was G Club, not Defendant Guo. G Club is not a defendant in this action, and there is no preliminary forfeiture as to any interests it could have had in the Bugatti. Second, the sale was never completed, and title in the Bugatti never passed to G Club (or Defendant Guo) under applicable law.\n\n52. Accordingly, Post Oak, not Defendant Guo or G Club, had right, title, and interest in the Bugatti at all relevant times, including \"at the time of the acts which gave rise to the forfeiture of the property.\" 21 U.S.C. § 853(n)(6)(A).\n\n53. For the foregoing reasons, the Bugatti is not subject to forfeiture, should be excluded from any final forfeiture order, and should be returned to Post Oak.\n\n## **PRAYER FOR RELIEF**\n\nWHEREFORE, Post Oak respectfully requests a final judgment:\n\n- A. declaring that Post Oak possesses right, title and interest to the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport bearing Vehicle Identification Number VF9SW3V3XNM795047 superior to the government and all other petitioners;\n- B. excluding the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport bearing Vehicle Identification Number VF9SW3V3XNM795047 from any final order of forfeiture entered in this action;\n- C. enjoining the government to turn over to Post Oak the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport bearing Vehicle Identification Number VF9SW3V3XNM795047;\n- D. awarding Post Oak its attorney's fees; and\n\nE. providing such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.\n\nDated: September 10, 2025 Stamford, Connecticut\n\nRespectfully submitted,\n\n## FINN DIXON & HERLING LLP\n\nBy*: /s/ David R. Allen* David R. Allen Eli Yampel dallen@fdh.com eyampel@fdh.com Six Landmark Square Stamford, Connecticut 06901 Tel: (203) 325-5000 Fax: (203) 325-5001\n\n> *Attorneys for Petitioner Post Oak Motors, LLC*\n\n#### **VERIFICATION**\n\nI, Lonny Soza, General Manager at Post Oak Motors, LLC, declare under penalty of perjury pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1746 that I have read Post Oak Motors, LLC's Verified Petition for Determination of Third Party Interest in Property Subject to Forfeiture and verify that the statements contained therein are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.\n\nDated: September *\\_B\\_\\_,* <sup>2025</sup>\n\ny Soza\n\nGeneral Manager, Post Oak Motors, LLC\n\n## **CERTIFICATION**\n\nI hereby certify that on September 10, 2025, a copy of foregoing was filed electronically and served by mail on anyone unable to accept electronic filing. Notice of this filing will be sent by e-mail to all parties by operation of the Court's electronic filing system or by mail to anyone unable to accept electronic filing. Parties may access this filing through the Court's system.\n\nBy: */s/ David R. Allen* David R. Allen FINN DIXON & HERLING LLP Six Landmark Square Stamford, CT 06901-2704 Tel: (203) 325-5000 Fax: (203) 325-5001 E-mail: dallen@fdh.com","body_zh":"UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK（美国纽约南区联邦地区法院）\n\n___________________________________\n\nUNITED STATES OF AMERICA（美利坚合众国），\n:\n原告，\n:\nv.\n: 案号：No. 1:23-cr-00118 (AT)\nMILES GUO（郭文贵）以及 YVETTE WANG（王雁平），\n:\n被告。\n:\n\n___________________________________ POST OAK MOTORS, LLC 依据针对特定财产的初步没收裁定提出确认第三方财产权益的经核实请愿书\n\nPost Oak Motors, LLC（以 Post Oak Motor Cars, Ltd. 及 Bugatti Houston 之名开展业务，下称“Post Oak”），通过其代理律师 Finn Dixon & Herling LLP，依据 21 U.S.C. § 853(n) 及《联邦刑事诉讼规则》第 32.2(c) 条向本院提出请愿，并主张其对本院《针对特定财产的初步没收裁定/金钱判决》（ECF 720，下称“《初步没收裁定》”）所涉特定财产享有优于他人的权利、所有权和权益。\n\n诉讼性质\n\n1. 本请愿旨在确立 Post Oak 对车辆识别代号（VIN）为 VF9SW3V3XNM795047 的 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport（布加迪凯龙超级运动款跑车，下称“涉案布加迪”）的所有权，而政府错误地试图没收该车辆。\n\n2. Post Oak 是一家专门从事稀有及外形奇特的高性能车辆销售以及高价值车辆维护的汽车经销商。Post Oak 是 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.（以 Bugatti Automobiles of the Americas 之名开展业务）以及 Volkswagen of America, Inc.（以 Bugatti Automobiles USA 之名开展业务，合称“Bugatti Automobiles（布加迪汽车公司）”）的授权零售商。作为授权零售商，Post Oak 从布加迪汽车公司订购并购买诸如涉案布加迪等定制车辆，以便向 Post Oak 的客户进行转售。\n\n3. Post Oak 与 G Club International Limited（G俱乐部国际有限公司，下称“G Club”）达成协议，向 G Club 出售一辆布加迪凯龙超级运动款跑车。Post Oak 进而与布加迪汽车公司达成协议购买一辆布加迪凯龙超级运动款跑车。\n\n4. Post Oak 向布加迪汽车公司全额支付了涉案布加迪的款项，并在其经销店接收了涉案布加迪的交付，从而获得了该车辆的所有权。\n\n5. 然而，G Club 从未从 Post Oak 处取得所有权，因为 Post Oak 向 G Club 出售涉案布加迪的交易从未完成。虽然 G Club 按照协议向 Post Oak 支付了应付给 Post Oak 的款项，但 G Club 从未接收涉案布加迪的交付（根据适用法律，这是转移所有权的必要条件），从未提供必要信息以供 Post Oak 将涉案布加迪登记在 G Club 或任何个人名下，且从未收到涉案布加迪的所有权证书。因此，Post Oak 保留对涉案布加迪的所有权。\n\n6. 在 Post Oak 向布加迪汽车公司全额支付该车辆款项并接收交付后，Post Oak 在其经销店维持对涉案布加迪的占有、保管和控制，直至该车辆被 United States Marshals（美国法警署，下称“法警署”）查扣。Post Oak 在法警署查扣涉案布加迪的过程中给予了全力配合。Post Oak 还在政府调查 G Club 企图购买涉案布加迪一事中与政府进行了广泛合作。在涉案布加迪被查扣后，Post Oak 通过其代表在被告 Miles Guo 的刑事审判中出庭作证，并对涉案布加迪进行定期维护，从而继续提供配合。\n\n7. 尽管 Post Oak 善意从布加迪汽车公司购买了涉案布加迪，但由于本没收案件中政府的主张，以及在 District of Connecticut（康涅狄格区）审理的被告 Guo 的破产程序中指定的第 11 章破产受托人（下称“受托人”）的主张，这两项相互冲突的重复主张使 Post Oak 如今陷入了不公正且无法维持的境地；双方均声称代表被告 Guo 的债权人和受害者的利益行事。政府试图没收一辆 Post Oak 已付款且依据法律仍保留所有权的车辆，而受托人则对 Post Oak 提起索赔，试图追回 G Club 为购买涉案布加迪向 Post Oak 支付的资金——Post Oak 已不再持有这些资金，因为这些资金出于善意几乎立即被转付给布加迪汽车公司，以清偿 Post Oak 因购买该车辆而欠付的购买价款。参见 Despins as Chapter 11 Trustee v. Post Oak Motors, LLC, No. 24-05017 (Bankr. D. Conn. Feb. 9, 2024)。\n\n8. 由于政府试图没收 Post Oak 仍拥有的该车辆，而受托人试图追索 G Club 支付的、且已被 Post Oak 用于从布加迪汽车公司购买该车辆的资金，Post Oak 处于不可能应对的境地，别无选择，只能请愿法院确认其对涉案布加迪的所有权。Post Oak 并未通过本诉讼程序寻求任何意外之财：通过确立其对涉案布加迪的所有权并获得其返还，Post Oak 仅寻求保护自身免受数百万美元的损失，而造成这一切的仅仅是因为其善意参与了一项其当时合理认为是常规的交易。\n\n当事人\n\n9. Post Oak 是一家德克萨斯州有限责任公司，其主营业地位于德克萨斯州。\n\n10. 被告 Guo 是本刑事诉讼中的两名被告之一。根据政府的指控，被告 Guo 与 G Club 存在关联（ECF 2 ¶ 10），即与 Post Oak 签订涉案布加迪销售合同的实体。\n\n11. 美利坚合众国正在对被告 Guo 提起公诉，并已获得《初步没收裁定》，目前正试图针对 Post Oak 的财产执行该裁定。\n\n诉讼历史\n\n12. 据知悉和确信，2023年3月15日，被告 Guo 依据于2023年3月6日提交的起诉书被捕。参见 ECF 2。起诉书指控被告 Guo 犯有多项罪名项，包括共谋、电汇欺诈、证券欺诈和洗钱。同上。起诉书还包含以下没收指控：\n\n［被告］应依据《美国法典》第 18 编第 981(a)(1)(C) 条及《美国法典》第 28 编第 2461(c) 条，向美国没收构成或源自可追溯至实施上述犯罪所得的任何及全部财产（无论是动产还是不动产），包括但不限于代表可追溯至实施上述犯罪所得金额的以美元计价的一笔款项，以及以及［原文如此］以下特定财产：\n\n…\n\n一辆车辆识别代号为 VF9SW3V3XNM795047 的布加迪凯龙超级运动款跑车［。］\n\n同上，¶ 54(w)。\n\n13. 2024年7月16日，陪审团裁定被告 Guo 在罪名项一（共谋敲诈勒索）、罪名项二（共谋实施电汇欺诈或银行欺诈）、罪名项三（共谋实施洗钱）、罪名项四（共谋实施证券欺诈）、罪名项七（针对农场贷款项目的电汇欺诈）、罪名项八（针对农场贷款项目的证券欺诈）、罪名项九（与“G|Clubs”相关的电汇欺诈）、罪名项十（与“G|Clubs”相关的证券欺诈）以及罪名项十一（与喜马拉雅交易所相关的电汇欺诈）上均告有罪。ECF 395。\n\n14. 2025年8月11日，本院对被告 Guo 作出《初步没收裁定》。1 《初步没收裁定》在服从第三方权益裁决的前提下，将属于该被告的涉案布加迪的全部权利、所有权和权益初步没收归政府所有。ECF 720。\n\n脚注1：涉案布加迪此前在针对被告 Yvette Wang 作出的《针对特定财产的同意初步没收裁定/金钱判决》中已被列明。参见 ECF 488，¶ aa。其后，政府请求在针对被告 Guo 作出《初步没收裁定》之前，中止针对被告 Wang 的没收事项。ECF 671。Post Oak 及时获得了政府的同意，即任何关于涉案布加迪的请愿均将结合针对被告 Guo 的《初步没收裁定》一并提交。\n\n背景\n\nI. Post Oak 的业务\n\n15. Post Oak 是一家豪华汽车经销店，销售外形奇特的高性能车辆和“顶级超跑”（hypercars）——即具备先进汽车技术的高性能汽车，通常以限量配额生产，售价通常达数百万美元。\n\n16. 顶级超跑通常是按定制方式制造的。购买者不是从经销店的库存中购买现车，而是联系经销店订购由制造商根据购买者所需规格配置的车辆。这些规格可包括内饰和外观颜色、车轮和饰条所用材料、配件以及其他细节。随后，车辆根据规格进行制造，并由经销店购买后再转售给客户。\n\n17. 布加迪制造包括 Chiron（凯龙）车型在内的顶级超跑。布加迪凯龙在所有配置级别中的总产量仅限于 500 辆。布加迪凯龙的其中一种配置级别是 Super Sport（超级运动款），其制造数量不足 100 辆。\n\nII. Post Oak 与布加迪汽车公司的关系\n\n18. Post Oak 与布加迪汽车公司签订有《零售商协议》，该协议允许 Post Oak 作为布加迪汽车公司制造的车辆（包括布加迪凯龙超级运动款）的授权经销商开展业务。\n\n19. 《零售商协议》纳入了某些《标准条款》和《零售商运营标准》，除其他事项外，这些条款和标准规范了 Post Oak 与布加迪汽车公司的业务往来，以及 Post Oak 运营其经销店和向 Post Oak 客户销售由布加迪汽车公司制造的车辆的某些方面。\n\n20. 根据《零售商协议》，Post Oak 获准根据布加迪汽车公司制定的购买条款，从布加迪汽车公司购买车辆以转售给 Post Oak 的客户。\n\n21. 《零售商协议》受德克萨斯州法律管辖。\n\n22. 车辆被视为“货物”，因此涉及车辆的交易受《德克萨斯州商业与贸易法典》（即德克萨斯州采纳的《统一商法典》（“UCC”）版本）管辖。Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 2.105(a)（将“货物”定义为“在确定归入买卖合同之时可移动的所有物品（包括专门制造的货物），但不包括作为支付价款之媒介的货币、投资证券（第 8 章）和诉讼标的物。”）；One Ford Mustang, VIN 1FAFP40471F207859 v. Texas, 231 S.W.3d 445, 451 (Ct. App. Tex. 2007)（“机动车辆必然符合该［‘货物’的］定义。”）（引用 Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 2.105(a)）。\n\n23. 根据《德克萨斯州商业与贸易法典》，除非当事人另有约定，车辆的所有权在车辆实际交付时发生转移。Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 2.401(a)（“［对］货物的所有权按当事人明确约定的任何方式和任何条件由卖方转移给买方。”）；同上，§ 2.401(b)（“除非另有明确约定，所有权在卖方完成其关于货物实际交付的履行行为的时间和地点转移给买方。”）；亦参见例如 First Nat. Bank of El Campo, Tx v. Buss, 143 S.W.3d 915, 920 (Tex. App. 2004)（“《法典》规定，除非另有明确约定，所有权在卖方完成其关于货物实际交付的履行行为的时间和地点转移给买方。”）（引用 Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 2.401(b)）。\n\n24. 在本案中，Post Oak（波斯特橡树汽车公司）与 Bugatti Automobiles（布加迪汽车公司）就 Post Oak 所购布加迪的所有权何时从布加迪汽车公司转移至 Post Oak 达成了明确约定。\n\n25. 根据《零售商协议》（Retailer Agreement），Post Oak 向布加迪汽车公司购买的车辆的所有权仍归布加迪汽车公司所有，直至布加迪汽车公司全额收到购买价款为止。\n\n26. 具体而言，《零售商协议》规定：(i) 若车辆在收到全部购车款之前交付给 Post Oak，布加迪汽车公司保留对该车辆的购车款担保物权；(ii) 车辆交付给 Post Oak 后，Post Oak 承担该车辆的所有风险并必须就此投保；以及 (iii) 在购车款全额支付后，所有权转移至 Post Oak。\n\nIII. G Club 同意向 Post Oak 购买布加迪\n\n27. 英国的一家经销商 H.R. Owen 联系了 Post Oak，原因是其客户 Mileson Guo（郭文贵之子郭强/Mileson Guo）及其公司 G Club（G会所）有意购买一辆配置为适用于美国的 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport（布加迪凯龙超级运动版）。H.R. Owen 需要一家美国零售商来处理该交易。\n\n28. Post Oak 此前对被告 Guo（郭文贵）或 G Club 均无了解，亦无任何往来，并接受了来自 H.R. Owen 的转介。\n\n29. 在转介时，G Club 向 H.R. Owen 提供了其拟购买的布加迪凯龙超级运动版的配置，该配置载于日期为 2021年10月25日 的《个人配置单》（Personal Configuration）中。\n\n30. 2021年10月28日，Post Oak 与 G Club（通过 G Club 首席执行官 Limarie Reyes）签署了《布加迪凯龙超级运动版补充购买条款》（Supplemental Terms of Purchase for a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport，简称“《补充条款》”），除其他事项外，该条款拟定了 G Club 向 Post Oak 支付布加迪购买价款的一系列期限。《补充条款》还包括了 Post Oak 将向布加迪汽车公司订购的布加迪的最终配置。\n\n31. Post Oak 因其在该交易中的工作而从布加迪汽车公司获得了一笔小额佣金，并与 H.R. Owen 分成了该笔佣金。\n\nIV. Post Oak 订购、付款并接收布加迪交付\n\n32. 依赖于 G Club 对《补充条款》的同意，Post Oak 向布加迪汽车公司下达了该布加迪的订单，并收到了布加迪汽车公司开出的关于 Post Oak 应付款项的发票。\n\n33. 在收到 G Club 支付的关于该布加迪的一系列款项后，Post Oak 于 2022年12月 向布加迪汽车公司支付了 Post Oak 购买该车辆的最终尾款。\n\n34. 根据《零售商协议》，一旦车辆全额付清，所有权即从布加迪汽车公司转移至 Post Oak。\n\n35. 布加迪汽车公司向 Post Oak 转移所有权的事实，进一步由 2023年1月5日 就该布加迪签发的《制造商原产地证明书》（Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin，简称“MCO”）所证实，该证明书证明该布加迪已转移至 Post Oak Motor Cards, Ltd.。\n\n36. 该布加迪于 2023年1月10日 交付给 Post Oak。Post Oak 接收了交付。\n\n37. 作为所有权人并根据《零售商协议》的条款，在车辆交付至其营业场所后，与该布加迪相关的所有风险均由 Post Oak 承担。Post Oak 为该布加迪投保，并被要求定期对该车辆进行复杂且昂贵的维护保养。\n\n38. Post Oak 的设施包括设有受控进出点的受监控车库，且 Post Oak 使用数字密码箱来保管其库存车辆的钥匙。简而言之，Post Oak 除了拥有该布加迪的所有权外，还对该布加迪拥有占有、羁束与控制权。\n\nV. Post Oak 向 G Club 出售布加迪的交易从未完成\n\n39. 尽管 Post Oak 根据其购买布加迪的协议收到了 G Club 应付的资金，但 Post Oak 向 G Club 出售该布加迪的交易从未完成。\n\n40. 《补充条款》指定适用弗吉尼亚州法律。然而，得克萨斯州和弗吉尼亚州版本的《统一商法典》（UCC）之间的区别在此并不相关。在这两个司法管辖区，除非当事人另有明确约定，车辆的所有权在实际交付时转移。比较 Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 2.401(b)（“除非另有明确约定，所有权在卖方完成其关于货物实际交付的履行时的时间和地点转移给买方”）与 Va. Code 8.2-401(2)（同上）。\n\n41. Post Oak 与 G Club 之间的协议不包含任何关于所有权转移的约定。相反，《补充条款》规定，当车辆可供 G Club 提取占有时，Post Oak 将向 G Club 发出通知，且 G Club 必须在收到该通知后的一定期限内提取占有该车辆。因此，适用 UCC 项下的缺省规则：所有权将在 Post Oak 向 G Club 交付布加迪时转移。\n\n42. 但 Post Oak 从未交付该布加迪。尽管 Post Oak 试图从 G Club 获取完成交付所需的信息，但 G Club 停止了回复 Post Oak，且交付从未完成。因此，该车辆的所有权从未从 Post Oak 转移至 G Club。\n\n43. Post Oak 一直保留对该布加迪的占有、羁束和控制，直至 2023年5月11日，Post Oak 配合政府对该车辆进行了查扣。\n\n44. G Club 未能接收交付是拟定交易中缺失的一个重大步骤，不仅影响到所有权的转移，还影响到各项其他权利和义务。\n\n45. 该布加迪的所有权从未转移至 G Club 这一事实，进一步由 Post Oak 保留并目前占有 MCO 所证实。\n\n46. MCO（有时也称为制造商原产地声明书或 MSO）是为车辆获取所有权证书的必要步骤。为了在购车后进行车辆注册登记，相关州的机动车辆管理局（Departments of Motor Vehicles，简称“DMV”）或类似的州机构需要 MCO 来确立车辆的原产地和所有权链条，首先是从制造商到经销商，随后再由经销商到购买者。只有在收到 MCO 后，DMV 才会向车辆的新车主签发所有权证书和注册登记证。\n\n47. 本案并非如此。Post Oak 从未向 G Club 或任何关联个人提供过 MCO，G Club 及与其关联的任何人都从未取得过该布加迪的所有权。\n\n48. 在政府查扣该布加迪之前，Post Oak 一直继续为该车辆投保并承担所有风险。事实上，即使在政府查扣该布加迪之后，Post Oak 仍在继续对该车进行维护保养。\n\n49. 在车辆被查扣后，Post Oak 继续配合政府开展与被告 Guo 审判相关的工作。Post Oak 派驻得克萨斯州的总经理 Lonny Soza 曾先后两次与检察官会面，并于 2024年6月6日 在纽约就 Post Oak 与 G Club 的往来在被告 Guo 的庭审中作证。\n\nVI. 政府对布加迪的主张系属错误\n\n50. 《初步没收命令》（Preliminary Forfeiture Order）将该布加迪列入了政府“寻求没收被告的一切权利、所有权和利益”的资产清单中。\n\n51. 但政府对该布加迪不享有任何主张权，因为被告 Guo 从未对该布加迪享有任何可被没收归政府所有的权利、所有权或利益。首先，该布加迪的意向购买方是 G Club，而非被告 Guo。G Club 不是本诉讼中的被告，并且不存在针对其可能对该布加迪享有的任何利益的初步没收。其次，该买卖从未完成，根据适用法律，该布加迪的所有权从未转移给 G Club（或被告 Guo）。\n\n52. 因此，在所有相关时间，包括“在引起财产没收的行为发生时”，享有该布加迪的权利、所有权和利益的是 Post Oak，而非被告 Guo 或 G Club。21 U.S.C. § 853(n)(6)(A)。\n\n53. 基于上述理由，该布加迪不应予以没收，应从任何最终没收命令中予以排除，并应返还给 Post Oak。\n\n求偿请求\n\n为此，Post Oak 谨请求作出终局判决：\n\nA. 宣告 Post Oak 对车辆识别代号为 VF9SW3V3XNM795047 的 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 享有优于政府及所有其他请愿人的权利、所有权和利益；\nB. 在本案作出的任何最终没收命令中排除车辆识别代号为 VF9SW3V3XNM795047 的 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport；\nC. 责令政府向 Post Oak 移交车辆识别代号为 VF9SW3V3XNM795047 的 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport；\nD. 判给 Post Oak 其律师费；以及\nE. 提供法院认为公正且适当的此等其他及进一步救济。\n\n日期：2025年9月10日 康涅狄格州斯坦福德\n\n谨此提交，\n\nFINN DIXON & HERLING LLP 律师事务所\n\n签署人：/s/ David R. Allen\nDavid R. Allen\nEli Yampel\ndallen@fdh.com\neyampel@fdh.com\nSix Landmark Square\nStamford, Connecticut 06901\n电话：(203) 325-5000\n传真：(203) 325-5001\n\n请愿人 Post Oak Motors, LLC 之代理律师\n\n宣誓证实\n\n我，Lonny Soza，Post Oak Motors, LLC 的总经理，根据 28 U.S.C. § 1746，在受伪证罪处罚的规定下声明：我已阅读 Post Oak Motors, LLC 的《关于确定受没收财产中第三方利益的经宣誓请愿书》（Verified Petition for Determination of Third Party Interest in Property Subject to Forfeiture），并证实据我所知，其中所包含的陈述真实且准确。\n\n日期：2025年9月8日\n\nLonny Soza\n总经理，Post Oak Motors, LLC\n\n送达证明\n\n我特此证明，于 2025年9月10日，上述文书的一份副本已通过电子方式提交，并已通过邮寄方式送达给无法接受电子提交的任何人。本提交的通知将通过法院电子提交系统的运行以电子邮件形式发送给所有当事人，或通过邮寄方式发送给无法接受电子提交的任何人。各方当事人均可通过法院系统查阅本提交文书。\n\n签署人：/s/ David R. Allen\nDavid R. Allen\nFINN DIXON & HERLING LLP 律师事务所\nSix Landmark Square\nStamford, CT 06901-2704\n电话：(203) 325-5000\n传真：(203) 325-5001\n电子邮箱：dallen@fdh.com","key_entities":["Guo","forfeiture","Je","Miles Guo","Farm Loan","853(n)","CIPA","Despins","Himalaya","Himalaya Exchange"],"ecf_references":[{"doc_number":2,"court":"SDNY"},{"doc_number":395,"court":"SDNY"},{"doc_number":488,"court":"SDNY"},{"doc_number":671,"court":"SDNY"},{"doc_number":720,"court":"SDNY"}],"word_count":3597,"status":"published","published_at":"2025-09-16 00:00:00","created_at":"2025-09-16","updated_at":"2026-08-23 07:34:15"}