Gobony stays in prison until trial until Judge Tampa refuses bail

TAMPA — Clearwater businessman Leo Govoni was released on bail Thursday afternoon due to concerns that assets purchased with money stolen from the Medical Trust Fund could still be hidden.

Federal Judge Amanda Santhorne decided during the detention hearing that Gobony had to remain in the Pinellas County Jail until the crime was resolved. This is an extraordinary step in non-violent crime.

Govoni, 67, was charged Monday with 15 charges including postal and wire fraud, money laundering and bank fraud after an FBI investigation into the disappearance of $100 million from a trust fund set up for disabled and injured individuals.

His accountant, John Leo Vitic, was charged with 12 charges but was released Monday on a $500,000 bond.

The decision to refuse bail is usually determined by whether the defendant may escape or risk the community. Federal prosecutor Mike Gordon argued that Govoni met the standard due to repeated patterns of trying to hamper justice and hide assets.

Gordon said Gobony continued to sell stolen assets. He transferred about $1 million from the joint account he was with his wife to the account in her name. He also halted the operations of many of his companies, ignoring subpoena and injunction issued by the Bankruptcy Court.

“He acted over and over again to disrupt and annoy justice,” Gordon said. “The court’s order appears to be insignificant to the defendant.”

Sansone said he was particularly interested in Govoni’s disregard for subpoena and injunctions made in bankruptcy proceedings for the nonprofit that administered the Trust Funds. Bankruptcy Judge Roberta Colton fined Govoni $300,000 earlier this month for civil condolences in court.

“You can’t get over this behavior in bankruptcy proceedings,” Sunthorn said.

Leo Govoni’s lawyer, Paul Cisco, emphasized that Govoni’s crimes were non-violent and that he had no prior criminal history.

“This gentleman here is not a flight risk, he is not a safety risk,” he said.

Cisco was also permitted to testify on behalf of Jane Gobony, the wife of Govoni, 35-year-old Govoni.

He said she was worried that her husband would not receive the necessary medical care in prison.

Jane Gobony noticed a decline in her husband’s mental health and found herself having health issues, including hyperthyroidism and diabetes. He said the CT scans conducted in October showed white matter consistent with the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head injuries.

That could be the result of seven concussions Gobony suffered while playing high school football, Cisco said.

Amparo Perales traveled from Ocala to speak during the hearing. Her 31-year-old son, Javier Perales, was awarded a payment from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program after receiving the vaccine at six months and suffering a severe seizure.

Govoni came to his home in 2001 and convinced him to award the award at his nonprofit, the Special Neash Trust Administration Center. She learned in February that she was missing about $2 million from her son’s trust. Her son is still receiving his pension. She said that is not the case for many of the other victims whose trust was attacked.

“He has shown complete indifference to his victims and does not respect the legal system of justice,” Perales told the court.

Govoni was placed in bondage at the end of the hearing. Jane Gobony emptied the court, blew out several kisses and gave her husband a thumbs up when he left.

Between 2009 and this year, Govoni, Witeck and others conspired to send people who had won the lawsuit, if not thousands, to the trust funds they overseen by his nonprofit, his nonprofit.

The nonprofit siphoned money and moved it to the Boston Finance Group in Govoni. He used some of the money to pay debts, travelled via private jets, funded large Storm Brewing, and deposited into his personal bank account.

After the hearing, Cisco said it is very rare for pre-trial detention to be pursued or permitted for a white-collar crime. He refused to answer whether Govoni would sue him for detention.

“We respect the court’s findings and proceed with defense accordingly,” he said.