Deals confirmed by extremely reliable 3rd parties with access to Bitcoinica's actual financial status?
I'm not sure what you mean by "confirmed". The offers were made and I know of no reason those deals would not have worked out. It is possible that Bitcoinica's actual financial status was nothing like it was believed to be, in which case the deals would likely not have worked out. That would require everyone at Bitcoinica to have been lying, which though possible, doesn't seem particularly likely to me.
zhou, i personally believe you are innocent. You really need to "lawyer up and STFU"
This assumes that Zhou is more concerned about possible criminal charges or the like than he is concerned about his reputation in the industry. I think he's more concerned about the latter, and that's part of the reason I also think the Bitcoinica situation is more or less as reported. Everyone involved intends to have a future once they get past this mess.
reputation and criminal charges go hand in hand. There are plenty of ways to "prove" and innocent person is guilty, especially if he talks a lot.
Getting a lawyer would help you with both criminal charges and reputation when all is said and done.
there is a common misconception that only guilty people need lawyers. I would go as far to say that innocent people need lawyers even more, especially in a situation this complex.