Prosecutors say two men from Florida are involved in a plan to embezzle over $100 million from a nonprofit organization that handled cash for individuals with special needs and disabilities.
This week, federal officials unveiled an indictment accusing John Witeck, 60, of Tampa, and Leo J. Govoni, 67, of Clearwater, of a number of offenses, including conspiracy to commit money laundering, mail fraud, and wire fraud. They could spend decades behind bars if found guilty on all counts.
One of the biggest administrators of special needs trusts in the country is involved in the case; these trusts are intended to manage money for individuals with special needs.
Twenty-five years ago, Govoni cofounded the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration in Clearwater, which oversaw more than 2,000 accounts with over $200 million for individuals in Florida and around the country. Prosecutors claim that clients were assured that the NGO would invest and safeguard their funds.
However, according to court documents, Govoni and Witeck, an accountant who collaborated with Govoni, utilized the foundation as a slush fund to enrich themselves.According to criminal documents, prosecutors claim that Govoni used funds from the foundation to fly on private planes, cover his friends’ and family’s living expenses, and maintain an opulent lifestyle that included luxury boxes at the Kentucky Derby and Tampa Bay Buccaneers games.
The court record for the current case do not indicate any attorneys for Govoni or Witeck.
There is a presumption of innocence that none of us should ever lose sight of here, according to Paul Sisco, a Tampa attorney who has previously represented Govoni.
“I have known Mr. Govoni for almost twenty years, and I have never detected any hint of guile,” Sisco remarked.
Some matters pertaining to Govoni’s bond and incarceration are being handled by Sisco. Ahead of a hearing on Thursday, when those matters are anticipated to be discussed in court, he declined to go into specifics about that.
The men are accused by the prosecution of providing phony account statements with fictitious balances to individuals with special needs and their families, as well as of hiding the fraud through intricate financial activities.
Federal prosecutors announced the case in a statement after the organization declared bankruptcy in 2024 and revealed that over $100 million in client-beneficiary funds had vanished from its trust accounts.
U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe stated in the statement that the fraud alleged in this statewide operation is incomprehensible.
The FBI, IRS, and Social Security Administration were among the several federal authorities that looked into the matter.
According to Jose Perez, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, the accused subjects not only depleted the organization’s finances but also violated the community’s trust, ultimately bankrupting a lifeline for vulnerable families.
