[Image: Flickr]
The CEO of a Southern California mortgage lending giant found himself in handcuffs last week after being accused of unleashing a violent outburst aboard a luxury cruise.
This was all because a fellow passenger had allegedly hurled a crude insult at his wife – who had asked him to put his shoes on.
Kenneth DeGiorgio, 53, head of First American Financial Corporation, was charged with assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction after a confrontation erupted on a Virgin Voyages cruise ship, according to a federal complaint obtained by HuffPost.
The clash began at the ship’s ‘On The Rocks’ bar when DeGiorgio’s wife confronted a man dancing barefoot, reportedly telling him, “Look, we are all grown-ups here, can you put your shoes on?”
According to the complaint, the man responded with venom: “Shut up, you fucking bitch.”
Surveillance footage captured the man flipping DeGiorgio’s wife the middle finger moments before the CEO stormed into the frame and allegedly wrapped his hands around the man’s neck. The victim stumbled and collapsed as DeGiorgio continued choking him, the complaint states.
The man later told FBI agents it felt like his throat was about to be torn out. He claims DeGiorgio threatened him, saying, “I am going to fucking kill you.”
DeGiorgio, invoking his right to remain silent, refused to speak with investigators without a lawyer present. His wife later admitted to agents that she regretted confronting the barefoot dancer and acknowledged he hadn’t laid a hand on her.
A spokesperson for DeGiorgio’s legal team said the CEO was reacting to “the actions of an individual who harassed his wife, making her feel threatened and intimidated.”
“Although charged with a simple misdemeanor, Mr. DeGiorgio looks forward to being absolved of any wrongdoing,” the spokesperson added.
The cruise may have been Virgin Voyages, but the CEO’s reaction was anything but pure.
[Source: HuffPost]
