Trading on his fame, charm and movie-star good looks, Garvey, now 57, went into business for himself after baseball, working as a pitchman and motivational speaker.
At the website promoting him as a motivational speaker, it says that Garvey's "playing field has changed from the baseball diamond to corporate boardrooms and lecture halls, but the integrity, intensity and the devotion for which this future Hall of Famer is famous for is the same." A promotional DVD shows him standing at a lectern in a sharply pressed suit, the picture of success. In speeches laden with baseball analogies, he talks about teamwork and setting goals.
But that image is at odds with Garvey's financially turbulent private life. A review of more than two dozen court files in California and Utah shows that he's had money troubles dating back at least a decade.
In a 1996 court declaration, Garvey said he suffered a "financial disaster" when the Internal Revenue Service disallowed tax deductions he claimed in connection with an investment in First Western Corp. in the early 1980s. As a result, he said, he owed $937,000 in back taxes, penalties and interest.
In addition, Garvey said he owed $10,000 to his ex-wife Cyndy, $40,000 to his current wife's parents, and another $40,000 to his former accountant.
"It feels like I owe everyone," his declaration states.
By 2000, Garvey's financial status appeared to improve. He and his wife moved into a 14,000-square-foot home near Park City, Utah. The estate came with its own name: The Boulders. It had a commanding view of the Deer Valley ski resort. The Garveys frequented the Stein Eriksen Lodge and drove luxury SUVs -- a Lexus and a Land Rover.
Their staff included a nanny, a groundskeeper, a handyman and Bilbrey, who served as a personal assistant to Steve.
But Bilbrey said there was a difference between the image the Garveys projected and what she witnessed in the Garvey home.
While working for the Garveys from July 2002 through June 2003, Bilbrey said, dealing with disgruntled creditors was part of her job.
Court records and financial documents reviewed by The Times and interviews with people who did business with the Garveys corroborate Bilbrey's claim that the couple's finances were in disarray.
From September 2002 to March 2003, dozens of businesses and people demanding payment of past-due bills called the Garveys or sent them letters.
