I note that in his most recent response (which actually tells us nothing new), Patrick has again neglected to tell us if he has obtained a warrant for his actions and what he is permitted to do. As you should all be able to tell, this is a pretty important area of ambiguity that needs clarification. Please answer the question Patrick.
Patrick acted upon the request of Bitcoinica's creditors. Since Bitcoinica, to our best knowledge, did not file a police report, nor seems to care whether the funds are returned to the creditors or not, it might be possible to argue that the creditors are the legitimate owners.
Really? Because I'm a creditor and I don't ever recall authorizing that.