LOUISVILLE (AP) — A Louisville man who once claimed to have a net worth of $38 million and pledged to bring an electric car plant to Kentucky says he is now struggling to pay his utility bills.

Randall S. Waldman had promised to build an electric car plant in Simpson County that would employ as many as 4,000 people, but the plant never materialized.

A company in Bullitt County started by Waldman, Integrity Manufacturing, has gone bankrupt, and he is being sued by several creditors, The Courier-Journal reported Monday.

“He took advantage of a lot of people and ruined a lot of lives,” said Dan Flynn, owner of Innovative Tooling Inc., who sued Waldman for an unpaid bill.

Waldman, 53, says he is now selling roofing for $500 a week for a company owned by his ex-wife and he has barely enough money to pay his utility bills, according to court records. His $1.4 million home is in foreclosure, and he owes $7 million to banks and a finance company.

Waldman and his companies are named as defendants in more than 20 lawsuits in Bullitt and Jefferson counties. He declined to be interviewed by the newspaper. His attorney, Kenneth Bonhert, also declined to comment to the Courier-Journal.

In 2008, Waldman e-mailed a financial statement to Alro Steel Corp. of Jackson, Mich., in an attempt to increase his credit line. The statement, according to court records, said Waldman had a net worth of more than $38 million. Alro is suing to recover $432,467 in unpaid bills.

In 2008, Waldman announced that he intended to build a company called Integrity Automotive that would make electric cars for California-based ZAP Corp. After the announcement, the state promised $48 million in tax incentives, and Gov. Steve Beshear pushed through an executive order allowing slow-moving electric vehicles on the state’s roadways in an effort to land the plant.

Kentucky Economic Development Secretary Larry Hayes said the state wasn’t “snookered” by Waldman and never paid any incentives.

“We knew financing wasn’t in place,” Hayes said.

Waldman’s creditors say they believe Waldman may have assets left.

In 2008, he transferred a lake house in Grayson County he said was worth $775,000 to a corporation called RSW LTD III, which he couldn’t identify during a court deposition. But state records list him as the company’s sole officer.

“I suspect Mr. Waldman has funds in places that he doesn’t want people to know about,” said Dennis Murrell, an attorney for one of Waldman’s creditors. “We will look to find them.”