Bering Yachts, the U.S.-headquartered builder of semi-custom expedition yachts with shipyards in Turkey and Bulgaria, is currently defending two lawsuits: a fraud complaint filed in July 2025 by the corporate entity behind the NautiStyles YouTube channel over a custom 77-foot build, and a bankruptcy adversary proceeding seeking to claw back more than $2.1 million allegedly transferred to Bering as part of a fraud scheme tied to Chinese businessman Ho Wan Kwok.
The NautiStyles Fraud Suit in North Carolina
On July 30, 2025, Angeles, LLC sued Bering Yachts, LLC and a long list of affiliated entities and individuals in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The case, 5:25-cv-00463, was assigned to Judge Terrence William Boyle and is classified as a marine contract dispute brought under federal diversity jurisdiction.1CourtListener. Angeles, LLC v. Bering Yachts, LLC2Law360. Angeles, LLC v. Bering Yachts, LLC et al
Angeles, LLC is the business entity of Victoria Chalaya and Rico Stoll, the couple behind NautiStyles. In August 2022, they publicly announced the purchase of a semi-custom Bering 75 Explorer Yacht and started a companion channel, NautiGuys, to document the build.3PR Newswire. Most Watched Yacht YouTubers NautiStyles Announce the Purchase of Their First Semi-Custom Bering 75 Explorer Yacht The complaint alleges fraud in connection with the construction of what has been described as a “bespoke” 77-foot yacht that Bering was building for them.4Loose Cannon (Substack). YouTubers Sue Bering Yachts, Allege Fraud
Angeles has demanded a jury trial. As of the last docket activity on December 24, 2025, the case remains in its early stages, with no reported rulings on the merits.1CourtListener. Angeles, LLC v. Bering Yachts, LLC
Who Is Named as a Defendant
The suit reaches well beyond the flagship company. Named corporate defendants include Bering Yacht Sales, LLC; Bering Marine, LLC; several Turkish entities operating under the Bering Naval name; Bering Yachts Bulgaria Ltd.; Bering Yachts Bulgaria Shipyard Ltd.; and Hysucat USA, Inc., which Bering Group acquired in 2017 and later rebranded as Bering Marine.1CourtListener. Angeles, LLC v. Bering Yachts, LLC5Bering Yachts. About Company
Six individuals are also named: Alexei Mikhailov, Bering Yachts’ founder and director, listed under several name variations; Natalya Viktorovna Mishina; Aleksandr Viatkin, also listed as Alexander Vyatkin; Olga Kibireva; Larry Williams; and Alexander Kholyavskiy. Court records confirm that Mikhailov, Williams, Kholyavskiy, and Mishina were served with the complaint by September 2, 2025.1CourtListener. Angeles, LLC v. Bering Yachts, LLC
The Kwok Bankruptcy Clawback Suit in Connecticut
Bering Yachts is separately defending an adversary proceeding filed on February 13, 2024, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut. The case, 5:24-ap-05207, was brought by Luc A. Despins, the Chapter 11 trustee overseeing the bankruptcy estate of Ho Wan Kwok, a Chinese businessman also known as Guo Wengui or Miles Guo.6PACER Monitor. Despins v. Bering Yachts, LLC
The trustee’s complaint alleges that Kwok used an alter-ego shell company called G Club International Limited to transfer $2,127,500 to Bering Yachts on September 17, 2021. According to the trustee, the payment was made with the “actual intent to hinder, delay, and/or defraud” Kwok’s creditors. The trustee is seeking to avoid and recover the transfer under Sections 544, 548, and 550 of the Bankruptcy Code and under New York’s fraudulent transfer statutes.7Epiq11. Despins v. Bering Yachts, LLC Complaint
The case has remained active into 2026. Bering Yachts filed a motion in April 2026 to withdraw the reference, seeking to move the matter from bankruptcy court to the U.S. District Court. Judge Julie A. Manning signed an amended pretrial order on April 22, 2026, and discovery has been ongoing under extended deadlines granted earlier in the year.6PACER Monitor. Despins v. Bering Yachts, LLC The action is one of hundreds of avoidance suits filed against recipients of funds from Kwok’s estate.
Why the Fraud Case Sits in North Carolina
Bering Yachts was founded by Alexei Mikhailov, who began building all-metal vessels in 2007 with a 50-foot project in Foshan, China.5Bering Yachts. About Company The company is headquartered in the United States and builds semi-custom steel-hulled and aluminum expedition yachts ranging from 65 to 145 feet.8YATCO. Bering Yachts B77 Veronika Successfully Launched in Antalya, Turkey Primary production moved to Antalya, Turkey, in 2017, with a second shipyard in Burgas, Bulgaria.
Mikhailov has stated that “Bering Yachts was founded in North Carolina,”9Bering Yachts. Bering Yachts – The Soul of the Explorer and Bering Marine still operates a shipyard in Bath, North Carolina.10Bering Marine. Contact Those U.S. ties help explain why Angeles filed suit in the Eastern District of North Carolina rather than in Turkey or Bulgaria, where the yacht construction appears to have taken place.