BROOKVILLE, Ind. — They came from near and far, from Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, Kansas and around Indiana to be in federal bankruptcy court in downtown Indianapolis. Their stated purpose was to stop Rodney Grubbs.
The court proceeding was to decide if Grubbs should be forced into Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Pickleball swindler duped investors out of millions of dollars
The stories were terribly similar.
Eight witnesses testified they met Rodney Grubbs through pickleball, usually at tournaments. Grubbs’ pickleball equipment and apparel business impressed them. Later, Grubbs would befriend them, and eventually ask if they wanted to invest in his business.
With promises of a 12 percent or higher annual return on investment, they handed over thousands. All of them said Grubbs never paid back interest or principle on the loans.
For each, the losses totaled in the thousands.
Attorney Matthew Foster, who filed the bankruptcy petition on behalf of a group of seven creditors, said there are many more owed money. Foster says losses are in the “millions of dollars.”