Lawyer Brian Cunha Sues NY Yacht Club Member and Investment Firm Over Millions, Alleging Fraud
GoLocalProv News Team
Lawyer Brian Cunha Sues NY Yacht Club Member and Investment Firm Over Millions, Alleging Fraud
Federal court in Providence will be the venue for a conflict that is pure Newport — a lawsuit that entangles wealth, claims of fraud, and a defendant tied to one of the most storied investment firms, who also claims to be a member of the New York Yacht Club.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe plaintiff is a high-profile personal injury lawyer who claims when he sold his $23 million mansion in Newport, he invested some of the proceeds and he was taken advantage of and is now demanding millions in compensation.
The man bringing the suit is attorney Brian Cunha, best known for his personal attorney television commercials.
Attorneys for Newport’s Cunha have filed a lawsuit against Winchester Capital Investment (WCI) and its Chairman and CEO, Ceasar N. Anquillare, alleging financial fraud and other violations.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in the federal court in the District of Rhode Island.
Anquillare bio states, “Winchester was founded in 1986 by Mr. Anquillare and the family Investment Office of the late Honorable Averell Harriman, a partner of Brown Brothers Harriman and former U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain.”
And his bio states that he “previously has served as an adviser to the U.S. Agency for International Development during the Administrations of the late President Ronald Reagan and former President George H. W. Bush.” And, that he is “a member of The Naval & Military Club in London and The New York Yacht Club. In 2017, Mr. Anquillare received the Global Leadership Award and was admitted to the M&A Hall of Fame.”
But Cunha is claiming fraud.
According to the lawsuit, “This is an action arising from Defendants’ fraudulent and unlawful conduct concerning Cunha’s $3 million investment. Anquillare falsely represented that on Cunha’s behalf he would invest Cunha’s funds in low-risk income and dividend-yielding investments and concealed the fact that he intended to put the funds into WCI, a dormant limited liability company wholly controlled by Anquillare.”
Further, the suit alleges that “In reality, Defendants misappropriated and locked Cunha’s money into an illiquid and opaque investment vehicle, prevented Cunha from gaining access to the investments in the LLC, failed to register as broker-dealers or investment advisers, and violated multiple federal and state securities laws.”
“Cunha brings claims under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ('Exchange Act'), the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”) and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ('Advisers Act'), and regulations promulgated thereunder and analogous Rhode Island and Connecticut statutes, as well as common law fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, and seeks legal, equitable, and declaratory relief,” states the lawsuit.
The lawsuit asserts as facts:
Neither Anquillare nor WCI is registered as a broker-dealer or investment adviser.
Over approximately eight years, Anquillare cultivated a personal and social relationship with Cunha in Newport, Rhode Island. They shared mutual social circles, boating interests, and developed a rapport that Anquillare exploited to gain Cunha’s trust.
Anquillare held himself out as a successful private equity manager with offices in New Haven, Connecticut and London, England, claiming his funds yielded 9–12% annual returns with low risk.
Following the sale of his home in 2021, Cunha was approached by Anquillare, who solicited a portion of the proceeds for investment.
Anquillare represented to Cunha that he would invest Cunha’s funds in safe, income and dividend-yielding investments that generate monthly income for Plaintiff and that he (Anquillare) would manage those funds on behalf of Cunha.
In December 2021, Cunha entrusted $3 million to Anquillare based on these representations.
Over the years, Cunha claims that he did not receive reports and that the funds were not invested as promised and that he had had no access to his funds.
In 2025, Cunha demanded liquidation of the account and return of his investment. Anquillare refused.
And, “[Cunha] believes the funds may be used to support a broader fraudulent scheme.”
The proceeds from the sale of the home referenced in the lawsuit were Cunha’s 2021 sale of Beacon Rock to George David, the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Technologies Corporation, for $23 million.
Beacon Rock is one of the most storied Newport mansions. Sotheby’s wrote about the home at the time of the sale:
“The Newport Harbor home, which was built in 1887 for Commodore Edwin D. Morgan, cousin of legendary 19th-century financier J.P. Morgan, was designed by the New York architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, creators of the Brooklyn Museum and the city’s first Pennsylvania Station.
The original grounds, which are nearly 7 acres and include over 2,000 feet of waterside frontage, were landscaped by Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed New York City’s Central Park and the emerald-necklace park system in Boston."
“It was the one-time home of sculptor Felix de Weldon, who moved in in 1951. While living there, he completed the design for the 1954 Iwo Jima Memorial, which is modeled after Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal’s 1945 Pulitzer Prize-winning picture and is installed in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia,” Sotheby’s added.
The twelve-count lawsuit by Cunha alleges, among other claims, Fraud in Connection with the Purchase or Sale of Securities, Sale of Unregistered Securities, and Fraud.
Further attorneys for Cunha in a related action are asking the court to immediately take action to preserve assets.
"Plaintiff hereby moves this Court for the issuance of writs of pre-judgment attachment and trustee process, in accordance with Rule 64 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, in the amount of $3 million, plus interest, costs and attorneys’ fees as further explained herein. By this Motion, Plaintiff seeks to preserve the value of his $3 million investment by securing his own funds wrongfully held and controlled by Defendants and securing Defendants’ assets pending final judgment," asks the filing.
Efforts to reach Cunha and his attorneys were unsuccessful.
GoLocal reached out to Winchester via its contact email, but it bounced back. GoLocal also used the firm’s online contact form which did not work and reached out to the firm’s Managing Director David Bowen, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Anquillare's voicemail was not accepting any more messages.