TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A local physician has settled his lawsuit against St. Petersburg-based Big Storm Brewery.
The doctor was an investor who accused the company of having ties to a troubled local non-profit, but with the lawsuit is settled, some local families were left with more questions than answers.
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Dr. David Wenk reached a confidential settlement with the owners of Big Storm Brewing, but that deal doesn’t mean much to the victims of the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration. They still want to know: where did their money go? .
It began with an investment in what seemed like an up-and-coming local brewery. According to a lawsuit file in June, Wenk invested $3 million with Big Storm Brewery back in 2021.
Wenk alleged that Big Storm owner LJ Govoni and his father Leo Govoni engaged in theft, embezzlement and laundered millions of dollars from St. Petersburg’s Center for Special Needs Trust Administration.
The elder Govoni was accused of siphoning off over $100 million from the center and facing his own legal trouble from Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.
“There are those throughout this state that want to make sure that we are protecting the most vulnerable and that those that would take advantage of them need to be held accountable,” Moody said.
The missing money was meant to help people with disabilities, people like Sarah Hall.
“This is the most the most disabled you can be; there isn’t a degree beyond this,” said Theresa Schlosser, Sarah’s mom.
Wenk sued LJ, Big Storm, and its parent company Seaboard Craft Beer Holdings for the return of his $3 million investment.
At that time, LJ Govoni responded to the lawsuit, saying in part: “these accusations are not only unfounded but also defamatory, and I am committed to fighting them vigorously.”