Kenneth D. DeGiorgio, the C.E.O. of First American Financial Corporation has been charged with assault over trying to choke a passenger onboard a Caribbean cruise ship, per authorities.
The incident unfolded when the C.E.O’s wife told the other man to wear shoes while he was dancing barefoot at one of the bars on the cruise ship, F.B.I stated.
His company had reported over 6 billion dollars in revenue in 2024 and has over 19,000 employees. DeGiorgio’s legal team did not agree to the allegations of him being the aggressor.
His team said that he just responded to an individual who was harassing his wife, making her feel threatened and intimidated.
The incident happened on March 31, 2025 onboard an adults’ only cruise ship, the Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady, which was 70 nm west of Maritinique’s capital, Fort-de-France.
The victim told the investigators that he was at the dance floor at one of the bars onboard the ship, On the Rocks, when the C.E.O grabbed his neck and began to choke him, which was confirmed by the security camera footage.
The man’s identity has not been revealed, though he said that the C.E.O threatened to kill him.
This happened after the C.E.O’s wife asked the man to wear shoes since he was dancing barefoot. She told the investigators that he made a crude remark to her and showed her the middle finger, as seen in the security camera recording, per F.B.I.
After this unfolded, the captain of the ship told the C.E.O not to leave his room until the cruise ship reached San Juan in Puerto Rico which was its next port of call.
Once the ship reached there, he did not answer the questions posed by the F.B.I and asked for a lawyer.
Devin J. Kowalski, in charge of the F.B.I. ‘s San Juan field office, said that violent crimes on cruise ships come under the purview of federal jurisdiction and if someone breaks laws at sea, they have to face the consequences of it on land.
The C.E.O has been released and would have to spend a year in prison, if he is convicted of the charge.
References: Deccan Herald, NBC News,Housingwire
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