by Structured Settlement Watchdog
Grand Jury Indicts Leo Joseph Govoni and John Leo Witeck
Govoni along with John Leo Witeck, a 60-year-old accountant from Tampa who worked for him, was arrested on June 23,2025, in
connection with a scheme that prosecutors allege involved embezzling over $100 million and ultimately causing the bankruptcy of the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration (CSNTA), a nonprofit organization based in Clearwater, Florida, that managed funds for vulnerable individuals with special needs and disabilities across the United States.
Who is John Leo Witeck?
- The Center for Special Needs Trust Administration retained the accounting firm Fiduciary Tax & Accounting Services, LLC (“FTAS”), which was purportedly owned by a Mr. John Witeck (“Witeck”), to provide all required annual trust accounting and the tax filing services for each trust. Source: CSNTA Bankruptcy filing Case 8:24-bk-00676-RCT Doc 7 Filed 02/09/24 Page 7 of 13
- The Center relied on FTAS to provide beneficiaries with the required annual accountings and paid FTAS approximately $650,000 annually for these services. Based on a review of the records filed with the Florida Secretary of State, Govoni formed FTAS. Golden, Govoni’s business partner, was the registered agent of FTAS at the time of its formation. Through its investigation, The Center confirmed that Govoni—not Witeck—does in fact own FTAS. Source: Ibid
- In a lawsuit filed by a former beneficiary of an SNT administered by The Center, Witeck testified that Govoni created FTAS and currently holds a majority ownership interest in FTAS. Witeck explained that Govoni gratuitously transferred a minority ownership interest in FTAS to Witeck shortly after FTAS’s formation. According to Witeck, FTAS has prepared the trust accountings for The Center since FTAS’s founding, and 95% of FTAS’s work comes from The Center. Source: Ibid
- Based on these facts, it is believed that Govoni formed FTAS and retained Witeck to prepare the required trust accountings specifically to ensure that Govoni could control the financial disclosures to The Center’s beneficiaries and to further monetize his relationship with The Center. Source: Ibid
“Witeck’s job was to protect the trust beneficiaries by providing accurate financial statements to them on a routine basis,” said Greg Kehoe, Interim U.S. Attorney. “He was supposed to keep track of their money, but instead he joined the fraud scheme and misled the victims.” See Leo Govoni to stay in jail until trial, judge rules | WFLA
The Grand Jury Indictment of Leo Joseph Govoni and John Leo Witeck
The 32 page Grand Jury Indictment was filed June 18, 2025 in the United States District Court Middle District of Florida Tampa Division in United States of America vs Leo Joseph Govoni and John Leo Witeck Case 8:25-cr-00290VMC-NHA and was available online via PACER, unsealed at time of posting, alleges as sets forth therein, the following counts:
COUNT ONE Consipiracy to Commit Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud 18 USC Sec 1341 and 18 USC Sec. 1343
COUNTS TWO-FIVE Mail Fraud
COUNTS SIX-ELEVEN Wire Fraud
COUNT TWELVE Money Laundering Conspiracy
The Indictment alleges that this continued through in or around May 2025
COUNT THIRTEEN Bank Fraud (as to Leo Joseph Govoni)
COUNT FOURTEEN Illegal Monetary Transactions (as to Leo Joseph Govoni)
COUNT FIFTEEN False Bankruptcy Declaration (as to Leo Joseph Govoni)
Copy of Grand Jury Indictment Against Govoni and Witeck
Download Govoni Indictment 6-18-2025
United States Department of Justice Issues Press Release June 23, 2025
FBI arrests Leo Govoni after probe into missing $100 million June 24, 2025
In the Lead Up to Leo Govoni Arrest
Govoni given ‘final, final’ chance to avoid criminal contempt of court charge Tampa Bay Times May 2025
Leo Joseph Govoni Mugshot
See Pinellas County businessman Leo Govoni criminally charged | WFLA
Leo Joseph Govoni Denied Bail
See Judge denies bail for Clearwater businessman charged in $100 million fraud | Business Observer June 23, 2025
Victim Reactions to Leo J. Govoni Criminal Arrest
‘About darn time’: Victims’ families react to Leo Govoni’s arrest in $100M fraud case WFLA NBC Florida June 24, 2025
My prior blogs on Leo J. Govoni
How do you pronounce Govoni?
Various news reports pronounce Leo’s surname as “GA-VAH-NEE”. When the late Richard Halpern warned me off who he referred to as “Phony Govoni”, more than 16 years ago (Halpern died in 2009), he pronounced it as ” GA-VONEY””