The FBI said the CEO of a major U.S. title insurer is facing criminal charges for suffocating another passenger on a cruise on the Caribbean, when the CEO's wife told another man to wear shoes while dancing at a bar on the boat.
Kenneth D. Degiorgio, CEO of First American Finance, reported more than $6 billion in revenue last year, with more than 19,000 employees accused of attacks by the end of 2024.
The confrontation took place on the March 31 Ms. Resilience ship, a ship sailing only by adults, operated by Virgin Voyages, 70 miles west of Fort-De-France, the capital of Martinique.
Investigators said the victim told them that when Mr. Degiorgio grabbed his neck and started choking him, he was on the dance floor of a bar on the boat, on the rock, and videos of security cameras confirmed this. The man's identity was not revealed, and he said Mr. Degiorgio threatened to kill him.
The dispute began shortly after Mr. Degiorgio's wife faced a man who was dancing barefoot, telling him: “Look, we're all grown up here – can you put on shoes?” Mr. Degiorgio's wife told investigators that the man made rough comments about her, and security footage showed him giving her middle finger.
The captain of the ship ordered Mr. Degiorgio not to leave his cabin until the cruiser arrives at the next telephone port of San Juan on the next day. Authorities said he refused to answer questions from FBI agents once he got there and asked for a lawyer.
“The crimes committed on cruise ships are in federal jurisdiction and we take them very seriously,” Devin J. Kowalski, an acting agent who is in charge of the FBI's San Juan field office, said in a statement Thursday. “If you violate maritime laws, expect to face the consequences of the land.”
Mr. Degiorgio's legal team filed charges in a statement to the New York Times on Thursday, saying he was a former invader.
“Mr. Degiorgio responded to the act of the person who harassed his wife, making her feel threatened and intimidated,” the statement said. “While being charged with a simple misdemeanor, Mr. Degiorgio looks forward to being relieved of any wrongdoing.”
Released by authorities and living near Los Angeles, Mr. Degiorgio, who is detained near Los Angeles, faces up to one year in prison if convicted.
Mr. Degiorgio received nearly $7.8 million in total compensation in 2024, a publicly traded company based in Santa Ana, California, that provides title insurance and other financial services products without responding to requests for comment Thursday, company documents show.
Nor was there any representatives of Virgin Navigation.
Alan Feuer Contribution report.
