TAMPA, Fla – Big Storm Brewing will soon be under new ownership after a federal judge approved plans to sell the company at auction, marking the latest effort to repay the alleged victims of Leo Govoni, who’s accused of draining medical trust funds for disabled clients of the Center for Special Needs Trust, which he founded.
What we know:
The sale is part of a broader federal forfeiture effort tied to the criminal case against former Big Storm co-owner Leo Govoni, who prosecutors say stole $100 million from special-needs trust funds. Govoni founded the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration in St. Petersburg, which managed settlements and lifelong care funds for disabled clients.Â
Investigators say more than 1,500 people were affected, with some accounts fully or partially drained.
Rebekah Bowman, whose disabled son Kienan Freeman lost nearly $1 million, said the auction is a step forward for the victims.
“With what they were left with, with Big Storm, I think they’re doing the best situation possible that they can and trying to get the money that they can,” Bowman said.
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Federal authorities seized more than 100 of Govoni’s businesses and properties. Big Storm, which filed for bankruptcy this year under court-appointed management, is among the most valuable remaining assets.
The starting bid is $7.5 million.
Bowman said it’s only a fraction of what authorities say Govoni owes.
“I always wish that they got a little bit more, and I hope that they find more,” she said. “It’s been a huge maze for them to go through.”
The backstory:
Govoni and his longtime accountant, John Witeck, were indicted in June on charges including bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. U.S. Attorney Greg Kehoe said the pair used dozens of shell companies to create a slush fund that enriched Govoni and his associates for more than a decade.
“Govoni used his victims’ monies to fund his own various business ventures and those of his sons, finance a lavish lifestyle, including trips on private jets, pay for expensive vacations, and purchase real estate,” Kehoe said.
 Prosecutors say Govoni continued the fraudulent activity through May of this year, even after learning he was under federal investigation.
 Investigators also accuse him of sending annual falsified accounting statements to families, masking the disappearing funds.
 Bowman said Govoni personally assured her in 2004 that her son’s settlement money was secure.
 “He personally assured me they would do everything in their power to make sure Kienan would have a comfortable life,” she said. She later learned nearly all of it was gone.
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What’s next:
Govoni remains in federal custody, where Bowman says he has access to housing, meals, and medical care that many victims can no longer afford.
 “That’s a little bit of justice, but it’s not a good feel when he has a roof over his head, he has a bed to sleep in, he gets meals provided to him, and he gets his medical care. We have victims in this that don’t have that comfort,” she said. “I’m just hoping that they are able to bring money in and get it back to the victims and just keep moving on like we’ve been moving through this.”
What they’re saying:
Prior to his arrest, FOX 13 attempted to ask Govoni a series of questions prior to his hearings in federal bankruptcy court, but he has never answered any of them.
The Source: Information for this story came from federal court filings, statements from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, interviews with victim families, and reporting from previous coverage on FOX 13 News.