JumpCon Founder Files For Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Protection

By MICHAEL HINMAN
May-23-2009
Source: Airlock Alpha




The worst-case outcome for hundreds of people who pre-paid for tickets
to attend JumpCon in Boston has been realized. Shane Senter, doing
business as New Hampshire Travel Agency, filed for Chapter 7
bankruptcy protection Wednesday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court's
District of New Hampshire.

A Chapter 7 is typically a full-blown liquidation where remaining
assets are used to cover liabilities. And like many bankruptcy
filings, that means most people will end up with nothing, especially
since Senter has listed estimated assets of up to $10,000, but
liabilities of between $1 million and $10 million.

It is unclear why Senter, who was indicted last month on two counts of
theft and four counts of unfair or deceptive business practices from
his failed JumpCon convention, filed under his travel agency, rather
than JumpCon LLC, the business entity he conducted the convention
planning under. State corporate records in New Hampshire list JumpCon
LLC to not be in good standing, while no entity for "New Hampshire
Travel Agency" could be found. JumpCon LLC is listed as his business
deeper in the bankruptcy files, but not on the cover page.

However, a list of creditors included in the bankruptcy filing include
charges Senter incurred from the failed convention, and likely
includes a number of ticket holders as well.

Senter is being represented in the bankruptcy action by Deborah
Notinger of Donchess Notinger &Tamposi of Nashua, N.H.

The court filings reveal some interesting aspects of Senter. Over the
last three years, he has received nearly $10,500 in disability
payments through Social Security, making about $700 a month in SSDI
and food stamps.

He also lists minimal assets including five gaming chairs valued at
$125, a pair of virtual reality glasses at $120, various games and a
gaming system at $588 and a $120 projector.

Senter lists only $1,900 in total assets, of which $1,300 is claimed
exempt under federal bankruptcy laws.

His biggest debt is to Hilton Hotels Corp. for $4.6 million after
losing an arbitration case against them. He also owes $2.5 million to
various hotels, including $345,150 to the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel
and Spa in Montgomery, Ala., and $10,000 to the Boston Park Plaza
Hotel & Towers where he was supposed to host his first JumpCon.

He also owes $10,387 to Louis Trapani of Oceanside, N.Y., for 10 weeks
of wages and expenses.

Senter has maintained that the JumpCon convention was just an event
that simply gone bad, but how someone making just $700 a month could
incur debts of up to $10 million has many fans and victims scratching
their heads.

On top of the prepaid tickets still owed to hundreds of fans, Senter
also still owes some $542,125 to a number of celebrity guests that he
had to cancel. Those celebrities include:

- Edward James Olmos of "Battlestar Galactica" for $60,000
- "Battlestar Galactica" actress Mary McDonnell for $40,000
- Highlander actor Adrian Paul for $22,500
- "Doctor Who" actor Frazer Hines for $22,000
- Popular Stargate recurring actor Cliff Simon for $21,000
- "Star Trek: Enterprise" actor John Billingsley and wife Bonita
Fredericy of "Chuck" for $15,000
- "Andromeda" and "Hercules" star Kevin Sorbo for $15,000
- Claudia Christian of "Babylon 5" for $13,000
- "Star Trek: The Next Generation" actress Denise Crosby for $12,000
- Character actress Musetta Vander for $12,000
- Vanessa Angel of "Weird Science" for $12,000
- "Star Trek: Voyager" and "Stargate: Atlantis" actor Robert Picardo
for $11,000
- Shannon Sylvia of "Ghost Hunters International" for $10,125
- Andrew Divoff from "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull" for $10,000
- "Doctor Who" actress Daphne Ashbrook for $10,000
- "The X-Files" and "Lone Gunmen" actor Dean Haglund for $10,000
- "Red Dwarf" actress Hattie Hayridge for $10,000
- "Blake's 7" actress Jacqueline Pearce for $10,000
- "Babylon 5" and "Lost" actress Mira Furlan for $10,000
- "Babylon 5's" Peter Jurasik for $10,000
- "Doctor Who" guest actor Terry Molloy for $10,000
- "Masters of Horror" actor William Forsythe for $10,000
- "Battlestar Galactica: Razor" and "Andromeda" actor Steven Bacic for
$9,500
- "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" recurring actress Louise Fletcher for
$9,000
- "Stargate SG-1" actor Tony Amendola for $8,500
- "Stargate: Atlantis" actress Andee Frizzell for $8,000
- Star Wars game voice actor Cully Fredrickson for $8,000
- "Flash Gordon" actress Gina Holden for $8,000
- "24" actor Gregory Itzin for $8,000
- "Star Trek: Insurrection" actor Michael Welch for $8,000
- "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" actor Richard Steven Horvitz for
$8,000
- "Moonraker" actor Richard Kiel for $8,000
- Brian Harnois of "Ghost Hunters International" for $7,500
- "Andromeda" actor Gordon Michael Woolvett for $7,500
- J.R. Bourne of "The Dead Zone" for $7,500
- "Star Trek: Voyager" actor Tim Russ for $7,000
- "Doctor Who" actor John Levene for $7,000
- "Watchmen" actor Dan Payne for $6,500
- Eugene W. Roddenberry for $6,500
- "Stargate SG-1" actor Gary Jones for $6,500
- "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" actor Barry Jenner for $6,000
- "Doctor Who" actress Mary Tamm for $6,000
- "Lost" special guest Julie Adams for $5,500
- "Star Trek" guest star France Nuyen for $5,000
- "Killer Klowns From Outer Space" actor Grant Cramer for $5,000
- Recurring Star Trek franchise actor James Horan for $5,000
- "Frogs" actress Lynn Borden for $5,000
- Original "Mighty Joe Young" actress Terry Moore for $5,000
- Actor William Berlinger for $4,500
- Highlander actress Elizabeth Gracen for $4,000
- "Star Trek" guest actor Jack Donner for $4,000
- "Babylon 5" actor Jason Carter for $4,000
- "Earth: Final Conflict" actor Robert Leeshock for $4,000
- "Doctor Who" actress Deborah Watling for $3,500
- "Earth: Final Conflict's" Anita La Selva for $3,000
- Nell Wilson of "Who Wants To Be A Superhero" for $3,000
- Voice actor Vic Mignogna for $2,500
- "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda" actor David Winning for $2,000
- Highlander actor F. Braun McAsh for $2,000
- Professional wrestler and Star Trek uncredited guest actor Scott L.
Schwartz for $2,000
- "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" actor Dermot Crowley for $1,500
- "Babylon 5" actor Stephen Furst for $1,500

Other actors, such as Bruce Boxleitner from "Babylon 5" and Connor
Trinneer from "Star Trek: Enterprise," also are owed money, but the
amount owed was not listed in bankruptcy filings.

A meeting with creditors is set for June 11.