‘No one knows who he is’: Mystery surrounds key figure in Tony Hsieh’s will

When court papers were filed last weekwith tech mogul Tony Hsieh’s will and a letter on how it was found, it was a surprise twist that raised questions in a drama-filled case.

How was the will only discovered more than four years after the former Zappos chief died? How would it impact his probate case in Las Vegas and the legal battles with his estate?

And, perhaps the biggest head-scratcher, who even was the person in possession of this critical document?

According to the April 17 court filing, the will was found in late February in the personal belongings of the late Pir Muhammad, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and was not aware that Hsieh had died.

Hsieh had named Muhammad an executor in the will and gave him “exclusive possession” of the original, in part to prevent anyone from destroying it, the will indicates.

However, several people who knew Hsieh told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that they had never heard of Pir Muhammad.

The Review-Journal checked property records, court records, business-entity registrations, online phone directories, search engines and other sites but found nothing that links this name to Southern Nevada or confirms who he was.

There are more than 1,000 profiles on Facebook with the name Pir Muhammad, but many of them say they live in Pakistan.

The letter describing the will’s discovery did not say when Muhammad died or where he lived, nor did it provide any details about his career or his association with Hsieh.

The Southern Nevada Health District, which handles vital records including death certificates, said it does not have a record of death in Clark County under that name.

“No one knows who he is,” said one source, who, like others, was granted anonymity to speak candidly.

All told, the will’s discovery, and the unknown key figure in it, comprise a bizarre turn of events in the yearslong effort to handle Hsieh’s estate — a task that has already involved lawsuits, creditors’ claims and detailed accounts of Hsieh’s drug use and erratic behavior in his final year alive.

Court hearing

Hsieh, the former CEO of online shoe seller Zappos and face of downtown Las Vegas’ economic revival, died on Nov. 27, 2020, at age 46 from injuries suffered in a Connecticut house fire.

He was unmarried and died as one of downtown’s biggest property owners, having amassed a portfolio of apartment complexes, office buildings, empty lots and other sites through a side venture originally called Downtown Project.

Hsieh’s father has been managing his son’s estate through a probate case in Clark County District Court, and his legal team has stated multiple times in court filings that the younger Hsieh died without a will.

However, lawyers who aren’t working for the family filed court papers April 17 with Hsieh’s will and a letter explaining how it was found.

District Judge Gloria Sturman is scheduled to hold a hearing in the case on May 1.

The seven-page last will and testament was dated March 13, 2015, and signed by Hsieh and several witnesses, as seen in the court filing by law firms McDonald Carano and Greenberg Traurig, which represent named executors.

Hsieh had appointed Robert Armstrong, of McDonald Carano, as co-executor with Muhammad and stated that if either of them failed to act, he picked Mark Ferrario, of Greenberg Traurig, as his contingent executor.

Muhammad signed the will, but neither Armstrong nor Ferrario did, the document shows.

No requirement to notify

In general, someone who is named to administer a will may not even know about it until after the person who appointed them dies. Probate and estate lawyers in Southern Nevada said there is no legal requirement for people to notify the individuals they named in their will to manage their estate.

Attorney Brooke Borg said it’s a good idea to check if they’re willing to take on the responsibility. But she noted these appointments must be approved in court anyway.

Attorney Elyse Tyrell said it would have made sense for Hsieh to notify his choices. But in general, people can change their minds on who they want for this task, and if the original picks learn they were replaced, it could fracture relationships, she indicated.

She also pointed out that, in general, even if someone was told they were named to oversee a will, if they don’t have the document that shows this, they can’t do anything about it in court.

Attorney Kennedy “Kenny” Lee also noted that nominees don’t have to accept the task.

Armstrong, Ferrario and their legal counsel in the case did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

A spokeswoman for Greenberg Traurig previously said the firm can’t discuss active matters.

‘Who are these people?’

Hsieh, who sold Zappos to Amazon in a $1 billion-plus deal in 2009 and launched a $350 million side venture to invest in the Fremont Street area, amassed a considerable fortune and expansive real estate portfolio.

As seen in the new court filing, the only contact information for the man tasked with holding Hsieh’s will, and helping carry it out, was “PM@PMWealthConsultants.Com / Clark County, Nevada.”

In general, financial professionals who buy and sell securities for clients must register with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Its registry does not show anyone named Pir Muhammad.

Searching online for his email address yielded nothing, and the website listed in the address is inactive.

However, the domain name “pmwealthconsultants.com” was created April 16 and is registered to Las Vegas attorney Dara Goldsmith, who represents Hsieh’s father in the probate case, according to information from the domain coordinator known as ICANN.

Hsieh’s will was lodged with Clark County District Court on April 2, records show.

Goldsmith and attorney Vivian Thoreen, who are both representing Hsieh’s dad in the probate case, did not respond to requests for comment for this story, including about the domain registration.

Thoreen previously said that the estate “continues to take all alleged manifestations of Tony Hsieh’s intent seriously.”

The new court filing shows that Kashif Singh wrote the letter describing the will’s discovery. No contact information or details on Singh, including his connection to Muhammad, were provided in the filing.

Efforts to locate and speak with Singh were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, sources who knew Hsieh said they had never heard of some other people tapped with roles as part of the will.

As one source put it: “Everybody has the same questions about who are these people?”

Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342.