A California CEO is facing a federal assault charge after surveillance footage shows him choking a man for dancing barefoot on a Virgin Voyages cruise ship.
According to a federal criminal complaint filed on April 1, the incident occurred on the cruise ship Resilient Lady on March 31 in international waters. Authorities allege that Kenneth DeGiorgio, the CEO of First American Financial Corp., assaulted a man, identified as M.A. in the complaint, at the On The Rocks bar aboard the ship. According to the complaint, after reviewing the video footage, the security supervisor “determined DeGiorgio was the male shown on the surveillance footage choking the victim.” According to the complaint, M.A. gave Nichol DeGiorgio, DeGiorgio’s wife, the middle finger while they were on the dance floor. The victim was allegedly dancing barefoot on the ship’s bar dance floor when DeGiorgio’s wife asked him to put on shoes, according to the complaint. N. “Look, we are all grown-ups here, can you put on your shoes?” DeGiorgio asked him. It is noted that DeGiorgio’s wife accepted responsibility for the incident and informed FBI agents and task force officers that she “should not have told the unknown male to put his shoes on” and that “the unknown male never touched her.” The male responded, “Shut up you f—ing b—h,” according to the complaint. Security footage showed DeGiorgio standing up and walking across the dance floor to the victim, grabbing him and holding him by the neck, according to the complaint.
M.A. told authorities that during the assault, DeGiorgio stated, “I am going to f—ing kill you.” According to the document, the victim also stated that DeGiorgio “used a lot of force” and that he felt like his “throat was going to be ripped out.” DeGiorgio was told to stay in his room until the ship got to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the port is. A spokesperson for DeGiorgio’s legal team told NBC News that he was protecting his wife. The FBI attempted to interview DeGiorgio after reviewing the footage, but he requested a lawyer and refused to answer any questions. “Mr. A spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday that “DeGiorgio responded to the actions of an individual who harassed his wife, making her feel threatened and intimidated.” “Despite being accused of a straightforward misdemeanor, Mr. They added, “DeGiorgio looks forward to being cleared of any wrongdoing.” Within the United States’ maritime and territorial jurisdiction, DeGiorgio is charged with assault. He could spend up to a year in prison if found guilty.
CEO accused of choking man on cruise ship over barefoot dancing incident
