{"id":151041,"date":"2026-02-11T02:25:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T02:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/151041\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T02:25:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T02:25:10","slug":"leo-govoni-fraud-2-years-after-100m-trust-collapse-families-of-disabled-victims-still-suffer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/151041\/","title":{"rendered":"Leo Govoni fraud: 2 years after $100M trust collapse, families of disabled victims still suffer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Special Special needs trust bankruptcy two years later<\/a> <\/p>\n

It\u2019s been two years since a non-profit based in St. Pete that handles trust funds for thousands of disabled clients filed for bankruptcy and it continues to devastate families. FOX 13\u2019s Aaron Mesmer reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Two years after the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration filed for bankruptcy, families who depended on the nonprofit say the damage caused by its collapse is still shaping their daily lives.<\/p>\n

The nonprofit\u2019s bankruptcy filing on February 9, 2024, set off a sweeping investigation that focused almost immediately on its founder, Pinellas County businessman Leo Govoni<\/a>. Prosecutors allege Govoni siphoned off money meant to support people with severe disabilities, many of whom relied on the trust funds for lifelong care.<\/p>\n

For Rebekah Bowman, the past two years have been defined by uncertainty as she cares for her son, Kienan Freeman, who has cerebral palsy.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

“There are plenty of struggles,” Bowman said. “Every day is a toss-up.”<\/p>\n

PREVIOUS: Pinellas businessman accused of stealing $100M from special needs trusts won’t face criminal contempt charge<\/a><\/p>\n

Still, she says her son\u2019s outlook keeps her going.<\/p>\n

“He\u2019s just pure. He\u2019s just pure in his emotions and the way he behaves and how he just sees the world so innocently and that\u2019s beautiful,” Bowman said.<\/p>\n

What we know:<\/p>\n

Court records show roughly $100 million was missing from the trust accounts of more than 1,500 clients. Many of those clients were people with severe disabilities who received settlements from personal injury lawsuits. In some cases, the money was supposed to last a lifetime.<\/p>\n

The bankruptcy filing placed blame directly on Govoni. At the time, the nonprofit\u2019s leadership said the discovery of the missing funds came as a shock.<\/p>\n

PREVIOUS: Over 100 businesses seized from Pinellas businessman accused of taking $100M from special needs trusts<\/a><\/p>\n

“I think the missing funds came out of the blue,” said Beth Leytham, the center\u2019s former spokesperson, in February 2024.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

As months passed, investigators alleged Govoni loaned himself massive sums over a decade and never paid the money back. Federal authorities later accused him of using dozens of shell companies to hide the funds.<\/p>\n

The backstory:<\/p>\n

Families told the court the alleged theft left their children without basic necessities.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Big Storm Brewing sells at auction for $5.5M \u2014 far less than what former owner owes fraud victims<\/a><\/p>\n

“Our children are suffering without food, without medicine, without supplies,” said Theresa Schlosser, the mother of a disabled child, following a court hearing in June 2025.<\/p>\n

Some families say Govoni personally reassured them their money was safe. Last year, Amparo Perales told FOX 13 Govoni convinced her that her son Javier\u2019s $2 million trust fund was protected.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

She said she eventually learned every cent was gone.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s like going through the grief process because we trusted them,” Perales said.<\/p>\n

Bowman also says she met Govoni and believed he was looking out for families like hers.<\/p>\n

PREVIOUS: Plans to auction Big Storm Brewing approved to recover money for alleged victims of Leo Govoni<\/a><\/p>\n

“He puts off this persona like he\u2019s there to protect you and take care of you while you\u2019re taking care of your special needs person,” she said.<\/p>\n

In June 2025, federal authorities arrested Govoni and his accountant, John Witeck, charging them with fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors say Govoni used victims\u2019 money to fund his own business ventures and those of his sons.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

“Govoni\u2019s victims number in the hundreds, if not the thousands,” said U.S. Attorney Greg Kehoe.<\/p>\n

The government seized more than 100 of Govoni\u2019s businesses and properties, including Big Storm Brewing. The Clearwater brewery recently sold at auction for $5.5 million, far less than what many families hoped it might bring in.<\/p>\n

“I think everybody\u2019s aware that a lot more money went into that brewery than came out of it,” Bowman said.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Lawsuit filed against Pinellas County businessman Leo Govoni, Big Storm Brewing’s ‘Fat Point Brewing’ brand<\/a><\/p>\n

Authorities believe Govoni now owes closer to $150 million when interest is included.<\/p>\n

“I have a hard time believing that all of the money will get brought back,” Bowman said.<\/p>\n

What’s next:<\/p>\n

Govoni remains in federal custody, and prosecutors say the case is far from over. Families say the only person who truly knows where the money is remains silent.<\/p>\n

“I believe that he has all of the information and if he would just be willing to help out, but he\u2019s not,” Bowman said. “I don\u2019t think he ever will.”<\/p>\n

Despite the uncertainty, Bowman says she focuses on her son\u2019s happiness and perseverance.<\/p>\n

“To know that there are a lot of disabled people who are like that and they have no idea of the things that Leo has done, and that\u2019s good for them,” she said. “I\u2019m glad he doesn\u2019t know.”<\/p>\n

The Source: Information for this story came from court records, federal prosecutors, along with two years of interviews with Rebekah Bowman, Amparo Perales, Theresa Schlosser, former Center for Special Needs Trust Administration spokesperson Beth Leytham, and U.S. Attorney Greg Kehoe.<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg<\/a>Crime and Public Safety<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Special needs trust bankruptcy two years later It\u2019s been two years since a non-profit based in St. Pete…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151042,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[630,47,115,1157,202,204,203,199,201,200,628],"class_list":{"0":"post-151041","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-petersburg","8":"tag-crime-publicsafety","9":"tag-fl","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-pinellas","12":"tag-st-pete","13":"tag-st-pete-headlines","14":"tag-st-pete-news","15":"tag-st-petersburg","16":"tag-st-petersburg-headlines","17":"tag-st-petersburg-news","18":"tag-us"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}