Murdered Man Accused of Multiple Scams

A man who was killed allegedly by a former business associate over a financial dispute was sued for bilking another former business partner.

Victor Borcherds, 60, who was shot to death in The Castle Bed and Breakfast at 35250 Loma Ventosa Ln. in Wine Country on May 12, 2010.

Louis Joseph DiBernardo, 60, is on trial for his murder. The jury was deliberating today at the Southwest Justice Center in French Valley.

To read about what DiBernardo was accused of, .

DiBernardo was at his wit's end because the Borcherds were renting the B & B from him, but they refused to pay rent, driving his family into bankruptcy, a defense attorney argued on Wednesday. To read more about what was said, .

The Borcherdses were negotiating to buy The Castle from after it foreclosed on the DiBernardos, the defendant's wife testified last week. To read about her testimony,

A plaintiff, called only Accurate Label, filed a suit on Nov. 18, 2004, against Jean Charles Inc. for $89,627. It named Victor Borcherds as the head of the company.

Borcherds, along with his wife, Suzanne Borcherds, and co-defendants Steve Yeoman and Steve Lake, were accused of taking that amount of money from the company and using it for "their own use," according to a court document.

To read the document, click on the PDF file above.

Victor and Suzanne Borcherds were also investigated for unscrupulous borrowing practices for their business interests in Provo, Utah, in the 1990s.

The FDIC tried to recoup $1.9 million from the couple in 1990, according to the Deseret News.

The couple nearly lost their properties, which included a hotel, water park and golf course, in 1992 when the Utah Insurance Department tried to seize the assets of their company, Southern American Insurance Co., the Deseret News reported.

They filed bankruptcy and stopped the state from taking their assets, the report states.