Guido Amsel went through bitter, lengthy divorce, court records show

Court documents related to Guido Amsel, the man accused of mailing explosives to his ex-wife and Winnipeg law firms, reveal a bitter, drawn-out legal fight with his ex that included allegations of theft and impersonation.

Winnipeg police have charged Amsel, 49, with a number of offences, including attempted murder and aggravated assault, after explosive devices were mailed to two law firms and a business.

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One of those devices exploded inside the Petersen King law offices on Friday severely injuring 38-year-old family lawyer Maria Mitousis.

Another bomb was found Saturday at a small business in another part of the city. Then on Sunday night, another explosive device was detonated by police at a law firm closer to downtown.

Police allege that Amsel's targets included Mitousis, the lawyer who represented his ex-wife, the building where his ex-wife works and the office of one of his former lawyers.

Court records show Amsel went through a divorce that has dragged on since 2004. He was also sued by his ex-wife, Iris Amsel.

According to documents, the couple married in Germany in November 1988, separated in January 2003 and divorced in August 2004.

They owned a numbered company involved in automotive repair. The couple initially split shares in the company — Amsel later bought out his ex-wife — and Amsel was ordered to pay $500 a month in child support. That payment was later changed to $583 a month starting in November 2013.

Amsel alleges ex-wife took $3M

The divorce became bitter in 2010. Guido Amsel accused his ex-wife of secretly moving about $3 million from the company into hidden bank accounts prior to the divorce being finalized.

Amsel alleges that the company struggled financially until they separated, then started to make money.

In an affidavit dated July 9, 2010, Amsel said the company's accountant told him that "there were numerous transactions that appear to be erroneous and unexplained" before the separation.

"A rough calculation regarding those transactions shows approximately $3 million unaccounted for," his affidavit states in part.

Guido Amsel remarried in 2005. In court documents, he accuses Iris Amsel of trying to break them up, going so far as to create a character claiming to be a boyfriend of the new wife.

Amsel also accused his ex-wife of flushing his wedding ring down the toilet, according to court documents.

Iris Amsel has denied all the accusations against her.

Son doesn't speak to Amsel much

Guido and Iris Amsel have one son, Kyle, who said in a court affidavit that he doesn't speak to his father much because the conversations would often be about his mother.

"In the past, when I was in contact with my father, he would rant for hours about how my mother has wronged him," Kyle Amsel, now 19 years old, stated in the affidavit.

"He would also interrogate me as to what my mother has been doing or what she was planning to do. This has made me very uncomfortable and put me in a difficult position."

The courts awarded joint custody of Kyle, but his mother was granted primary physical care, according to documents.

Kyle Amsel wrote in a 2013 affidavit that his father was "threatening towards me when I do not agree with him that my mother stole several million dollars from their company."

According to court documents, Guido Amsel refused to sign travel documents for his son to visit his mother's parents in Germany starting in 2010.

In his own affidavit, Guido Amsel said he fears his ex-wife would use the money that he believes she stole to relocate to Germany with their son.

Ex-wife suing Amsel

By August 2013, Guido Amsel was expressing doubt that Kyle was his biological son. He wrote a letter to Mitousis demanding a paternity test.

The court agreed to order one on the condition Amsel pay for it. There is no record of a result on file with the court.

At the same time, Guido Amsel had his wages garnisheed on at least one occasion and she launched a lawsuit in 2010 against him and others in connection with the numbered company she once shared with him. That matter is due to return to court in December.

One of the bombs detonated by police was found at another law firm involved with the case and the second was at a small automotive business north of downtown with ties to Iris Amsel.

Guido Amsel is being held in custody pending a court date Tuesday. Police said they are continuing to search a business and a residence linked to the suspect.

Property records list the numbered company that Amsel owns as the owner of a business in the 2200 block of Springfield Road, just outside Winnipeg.

An unreserved auction sale was slated to be held at that business on June 11, with items to be sold including heavy equipment and trucks. However, that sale has been postponed.