Two Florida men have been indicted in what prosecutors describe as a scheme to steal more than $100 million from a nonprofit that managed funds for people with disabilities and special needs.
Federal authorities this week unsealed an indictment charging Leo J. Govoni, 67, of Clearwater, and John Witeck, 60, of Tampa, with multiple counts including mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted on all counts, they face decades in prison.
The case involves one of the nation’s largest administrators of special needs trusts, which are designed to manage funds for people with special needs.
The Center for Special Needs Trust Administration in Clearwater, which Govoni cofounded 25 years ago, managed more than 2,000 accounts containing about $200 million for people in Florida and around the nation. Clients were promised that the nonprofit would protect and invest their money, prosecutors say.
But Govoni and Witeck, an accountant who worked with Govoni, used the nonprofit as a “slush fund” to enrich themselves, court papers state.
Govoni is accused of using money from the nonprofit to travel on private jets, pay living expenses for his friends and family and live a lavish lifestyle “complete with luxury boxes at Tampa Bay Buccaneers games and the Kentucky Derby,” prosecutors said in court records.
No lawyers for Govoni or Witeck are listed in court files of the current case.
Paul Sisco, a Tampa lawyer who has represented Govoni in the past, said "there is a presumption of innocence which none of us should ever lose sight of here.”
“In nearly two decades of knowing Mr. Govoni, I have never sensed any inkling of guile,” Sisco said.
Sisco is handling some issues regarding Govoni’s bond and detention. He declined to discuss details of that ahead of a Thursday hearing, when those issues are expected to be addressed in court.
Prosecutors accuse the men of concealing the fraud through complex financial transactions, and sending fraudulent account statements with false balances to people with special needs and their families.
The nonprofit filed for bankruptcy in 2024 and “disclosed that more than $100 million in client-beneficiary funds was missing from its trust accounts,” federal prosecutors said in a statement announcing the indictment.
“The fraud alleged in this nationwide scheme is unfathomable," U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe said in the statement.
The case was investigated by numerous federal agencies, including the FBI, the IRS and the Social Security Administration.
“Not only were the organization’s resources drained, but the accused subjects betrayed the trust of the community and ultimately bankrupted a lifeline for vulnerable families," said Jose Perez, assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division.
Gregory Kehoe, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, speaks to reporters during a press conference regarding Leo Govoni at the United States Attorney's Office on Monday, June 23, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Gregory Kehoe, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, center, announces the federal charges in a nationwide fraud investigation against Leo Govoni during a press conference at the United States Attorney's Office on Monday, June 23, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.
Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.
“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.
"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.
Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.
Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.
Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.
At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.
Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.
Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.
After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.
“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”
Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.
Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.
His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.
“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”
Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.
FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
