You're not going to get the money back. 'grellas may hop on and set me straight on that, but what I expect will happen in the best case is that by pursuing a wage claim you start the machinery that finally puts your employer into bankruptcy, whereupon you become a creditor, lining up with all the rest of the creditors who aren't going to get paid either.
Don't let my belief here imply that you shouldn't do anything; all three of your options are valid. However, in each of them, before you (a) get emotional, (b) burn any potential bridges (even treacherous, slippery ones), or (c) contemplate investing serious time or any money in this process, keep in mind that your outlook on this probably isn't good.
Don't let my belief here imply that you shouldn't do anything; all three of your options are valid. However, in each of them, before you (a) get emotional, (b) burn any potential bridges (even treacherous, slippery ones), or (c) contemplate investing serious time or any money in this process, keep in mind that your outlook on this probably isn't good.