The next few posts will be more fun reading on Shruti
Misra, and her husband Anil Gupta:
Tuesday, June 30, 1998
Questions growing about
Vikings bidder, husband
A Las Vegas charity is now leery about a $5
million pledge from Shruti Misra after learning
more about her.
By Matt Jacob
Review-Journal
Shruti Misra's desire to purchase the Minnesota
Vikings led her to drop a long-valued shroud of privacy
long enough Saturday to claim wealth exceeding $5
billion.
But instead of quieting questions about her ability to
pay $225 million for the Vikings, it has raised new ones
about Misra and her husband, Anil Gupta.
A reporter who keeps track of the world's
wealthiest people suggests "something's screwy" with the
Las Vegas residents' claims, and the charity recipient of
a recent $5 million pledge from Misra says she's become
suspicious.
Evelyn Fleet, 64, is the executive director and board
chairman of a Las Vegas-based non-profit organization
called Active Blind and Visually Impaired of Nevada.
Fleet first met Gupta in mid-May, when Misra
pledged $5.1 million to Active Blind. At the time, Fleet
said Monday, she viewed Misra as a savior because
Active Blind currently has just $1,100 in funds.
Fleet, who is blind, said she believed Misra's offer
was legitimate because Gupta has done a lot of work in
the past month to finalize the donation. Fleet said Gupta
gave her three stock certificates and a deed to 42 acres
in northwest Nevada.
However, upon learning Monday that Misra's wealth
has been questioned recently, Fleet said she became
suspicious.
"I'm totally confused," said Fleet, who admits she's
unaware of the value of the land and stocks. "I don't
know the proper thing to do. I don't know if these
people are phonies or not phonies."
On Saturday, Gupta provided documents that
indicated Misra is worth more than $5 billion, with
sizable holdings in real estate and precious metals. The
31-year-old woman acquired her wealth, Gupta said,
through her father, Chihranjan Misra, who lives in India
and Canada.
However, Forbes Magazine recently published a list
of the world's billionaires, and it doesn't include anyone
with the surname Misra. The richest resident of India
listed is worth $3.5 billion.
But Gupta, speaking on his wife's behalf, said
Forbes doesn't list anyone named Misra because the
family has kept its assets confidential.
"They're private people," Gupta said of his wife's
family. "People who are private are not listed in
(Forbes). There are many, many families we know who
should be listed there but aren't."
That's not the case, said Seth Lubove, a reporter for
Forbes.
"There are a lot of private people (listed)," Lubove
said Monday. "In fact, the greater majority on our
billionaires or the Forbes 400 lists are generally private
or have private companies."
Lubove said he was unaware of Misra and
questioned her family's stated wealth.
"Somebody who purportedly has that kind of worth,
for them to fly under the radar screen, I find that hard to
believe," he said. "My gut feeling tells me something's
screwy here."
Evelyn Fleet just wants some answers.
Gupta insisted his wife's pledge to Active Blind is
sincere. He said the land is worth slightly less than $1
million and that the organization in July will begin
receiving checks for approximately $200,000 a month
for two years.
Meanwhile, Fleet said Misra has asked for nothing
in return from Active Blind, other than to be thanked
publicly. Fleet did that with a $568 advertisement that
ran in the May 24 Review-Journal.
Ironically, when Misra revealed her wealth to the
R-J on Saturday, she stated that she values her privacy
and didn't want the public to know about her.
"We were told she did this for one reason: to help
her get publicity," Fleet said. "They wanted to be known
in Las Vegas."
Gupta denied that, saying Misra's family just desired
the ad so others would become aware of Active Blind.
"It's a small charity," he said. "They (the family) just
wanted to encourage others within the family to donate."
Fleet hopes that is the case and that her doubts
about Misra and Gupta are erased soon.
"I have to admit I'm extremely naive," Fleet said.
"But I can't see any reason why they'd want to hurt
Active Blind or Evelyn Fleet."
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