Ant Anstead Took Huge Deposits from at Least 4 Radford Customers but Never Delivered Cars, Lawsuits Allege

Ant Anstead is named in several lawsuits alleging his company, Radford Motors, accepted deposits ranging from $100,000 to $750,000 from customers, but never delivered the cars they ordered or refunded them
Radford filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on Oct 22. amid allegations of fraud and mismanagement against Anstead and his co-founders
The British TV host and master mechanic told PEOPLE on Thursday, Oct 24. that he remains “fully committed” to the company and his “role and dedication to Radford’s success continue unchanged"

Ant Anstead is facing several lawsuits claiming clients paid his company, Radford Motors, sizable deposits and never received the custom cars they were promised — or their money back.

One potential customer, Timothy Tasker, claims in a May 2024 filing that he gave Anstead's supercar company a $101,000 deposit for one of their limited edition Lotus-Radford Type 62-2 models in May 2022, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE

After meeting with Anstead and his co-founder, Formula 1 champ Jenson Button, Tasker says he was told the finished cars would be delivered starting at the end of 2022 and throughout 2023. However, in October 2023, based on what he perceived as "a lack of progress" in the creation of the high-end vehicles, he told Radford he wanted his money back.

Radford Reborn Ant Anstead — Speedvision

He claims that Radford "understood" his concerns and promised "a full refund," but when he followed up, his phone calls and emails went unanswered for "months."

Tasker alleges that the company still has not returned his $101,000 deposit, two years later.

A second lawsuit, filed in July 2024 and obtained by PEOPLE, details similar allegations with even higher price tags.

In a joint filing, Scott Katzman, a Florida based surgeon, and Lamborghini Palm Beach, a luxury car dealership, claim they both ordered a Radford-Lotus vehicle. The dealership hoped to buy a $450,000 model, while Katzman wanted the special edition "Pikes Peak" version, which cost $1,000,000.

They claim Lamborghini Palm Beach made a series of payments from Oct. 2021 through Aug. 2023 totally $1,050,000 ($300,00 for the dealership's car, and $750,000 towards Katzman's).

After a series of delays and pushed back delivery dates, they claim, Radford proposed "a repayment schedule" for the missing vehicles. "Neither car has been delivered and no refund has been made," the filing states.

Attorneys for Tasker, Katzman and Lamborghini Palm Beach did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

PEOPLE previously reported that Roger N. Behle, Jr., an attorney who had worked for Radford Motors, alleged other refunds were also not returned and the huge customer deposits were mismanaged internally.

In a July 2024 lawsuit, Behle claims that back in January 2024, Anstead and another co-founder, Daniel Bednarski — who the filing says was Anstead's life coach prior to becoming Radford's chief financial officer — secured a $100,000 deposit from a new customer.

However, hours after the money was wired, Anstead and Bednarski "took $54,635.52 from this deposit and used it to pay a vendor for work unrelated to the new client’s vehicle," the complaint reads.

It continues, "Twenty-nine minutes after the first wire was sent, Bednarski took more of the new client’s funds and paid himself $20,000 via wire."

The bespoke carmaker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Oct. 22, amid allegations of fraud and mismanagement.

A representative for Radford Motors tells PEOPLE the company obtained approval for "financing to fund operations" as of Tuesday, Oct. 29, which will allow them to "work towards completing vehicles in process and is part of [Radford's] efforts to restructure through Chapter 11."

Addressing the customer disputes, the representative said, "Any and all claims will be addressed with as part of the bankruptcy case."

A source familiar with the proceedings told PEOPLE that a Delaware judge told Anstead and Bednarski they had 13 weeks to stabilize Radford Motors.

Anstead, 45, told PEOPLE exclusively on Thursday, Oct. 24, that he remains “fully committed” to the company, adding that his “role and dedication to Radford’s success continue unchanged.”

The master mechanic had revived the formerly defunct British automaker Radford in August 2020 and starred in a five-part docuseries about the venture, Radford Reborn, alongside Button, in April 2023.

The show followed the pair as they created the Lotus-Radford Type 62-2 supercar, which a press release described as "a reimagined version of the fabled Lotus Type 62." When the doc aired, the vehicle had already won a major award at the motorsports festival Goodwood, beating out Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, Bugatti and others, Anstead told PEOPLE in an interview ahead of the show's release.

He also said the company was "personally a huge risk for me," explaining, "We have seven people, and we privately funded this. We are doing it. We're risking everything."

Anstead also claimed at the time, "We are now moving into production . . . We've sold a number of cars to collectors all over the world, and we are now delivering those cars."

The TV personality's legal troubles have not hindered the launch of his new show airing on discovery+ and Quest in the U.K.: Ant Anstead: Born Mechanic. The series premiered on Thursday, Oct. 24 and follows his journey rebuilding a historic home in England, while funding the renovation by selling classic cars he restores.