I am baffled as to why he would run with the coins considering the massive uptick in price?

If he indeed did not convert them to USD, it seems he would easily have funds to pay back everyone and still profit from some basic arbitrage.

I see people want their 20,30,etc. BTC, but he could make a case easily to state he offered the product pricing in "USD" and merely "accepted" bitcoins as a payment option at current conversion rates at time of sale.

This would satisfy any court in the world and it seems he could settle all and still make out.

I don't know if this helps anyone's pain, but I did get a credit card refund and since I'm currently getting a divorce and stuck with my own debts, that refund has made a pretty crappy situation much easier than losing nearly $27,000.

For the record, I initiated my refund last November.

So...at least you're not getting a divorce with young children to think about.

Bets of luck to everyone here, I hope you guys get your money back.