A rough day last week for John Devaney could have been much worse.

Hours after being booed off the stage at a Miami asset-backed securities conference, the United Capital Markets chief, whose Horizon Strategy hedge fund collapsed this summer, was almost the victim of a robbery by a pair of disgruntled investors who hatched a short-lived plan to recoup some of their losses, in a sense.

At a party he hosted on his mother’s yacht—in a widely-publicized embarrassment, Devaney was forced to sell his own yacht, Positive Carry, as UCM’s losses mounted—two investors who had lost a combined $1.5 million, considered stealing some of Devaney’s art collection, hanging on the yacht, the New York Post reports.

Investors in the Horizon Strategy were left with nothing after the fund was battered by the credit crisis, ending with Deutsche Bank seizing the fund’s remaining assets after it missed a margin call.

The unhappy investors, whose plans the Post reports were lubricated with some free cocktails at the invitation-only maritime soirée, decided against a new career as art thieves, fearing the potential grand larceny charges.

The would-be burglars were not the only ones in need of a few drinks. Devaney himself had a rough morning, booed off the stage at the ABS conference last Monday.

According to the Post, Devaney, who has vowed to rebuild his business and reputation, began ranting during a morning discussion, complaining that he was right and the markets were wrong. The crowd reportedly turned ugly, and Devaney suffered the indignity of having the microphone taken from him.