People who knew Mr. Hsu in Hong Kong remember him as a man with a magnetic personality who could walk into a crowded bar and instantly seem as if he knew everybody. He dominated a conversation. "He was a friendly guy -- social, humorous -- a very good salesman," says Ernest Ng, an old college friend who did business with Mr. Hsu and later fell out with him. Mr. Hsu's past, illuminated by documents fished out of storage at various courts and interviews with former partners and friends, is full of failed businesses, a kidnapping, lawsuits and bouts of financial ruin followed by hard-to-explain recovery. He charmed friends, relatives, and college classmates into investing in real estate, restaurant and apparel businesses, many of which failed, stranding investors.