According to The Lynchburg Times, the Weavers, alongside Grant Sidney Inc., are suing the company’s former chief financial officer, Mike Senzaki, accusing Senzaki of financial misconduct, up to and including inflating the company’s whiskey barrel inventory, which led to a $24 million credit increase from the company’s lender, Farm Credit Mid-America.
The Weavers also accuse Senzaki of abusing his power as chief financial officer, changing invoices to divert funds, concealing liabilities, fraud, forgery, defamation, breach of loyalty and other offenses. In the lawsuit, filed in Bedford County, Tennessee, Senzaki was entrusted with the company’s finances during a period of significant growth and “manipulated systems to conceal millions of dollars in vendor liabilities,” giving the appearance that the company was financially healthy.
In July 2025, Uncle Nearest was placed in receivership as a result of a lawsuit filed by Farm Credit Mid-America, which claimed that the fast-growing whiskey brand had defaulted on over $108 million in loans. A judge ordered Tennessee attorney Phillip Young to have broad authority to manage, preserve, and, if necessary, sell company assets. The Weavers could continue to market the brand, but given the nature of Senzaki’s alleged misgivings, the couple has sustained personal losses