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Lawsuit filed against Pinellas County businessman Leo Govoni, Big Storm Brewing's 'Fat Point Brewing' brand

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Published  June 3, 2025 9:26pm EDT
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News
Lawsuit filed against Govoni, Big Storm's 'Fat Point' brand

Lawsuit filed against Govoni, Big Storm's 'Fat Point' brand

Aaron Mesmer reports.

The Brief

    • Another investor came forward with allegations against Leo Govoni and Big Storm Brewing.
    • The lawsuit alleges Govoni and his son, Leo "LJ" Govoni, Jr. used their Clearwater craft brewery as a front to misappropriate funds.
    • Leo Govoni is the founder of the Center for Special Needs Trust, which filed for bankruptcy more than a year ago after discovering it was missing $100 million.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The troubles are growing for the Pinellas County businessman accused of stealing $100 million from the trust funds of disabled clients. Another investor came forward with allegations against Leo Govoni and Big Storm Brewing. 

The lawsuit alleges Govoni and his son, Leo "LJ" Govoni, Jr. used their Clearwater craft brewery as a front to misappropriate funds. 

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Dig deeper:

In a lawsuit filed in Hillsborough County last week, Ralph D’Alelio, Jr. demanded he be paid back $600,000 for a loan he made to the father and son in 2021. 

D’Alelio, Jr. said he was approached about an opportunity for him to lend money to expand Big Storm’s "Fat Point Brewing" brand. Court documents allege that money was not used for the brewery. Instead, he claims it was used for their own personal use, and he was never paid back. 

RELATED: Businessman accused of stealing $100M from nonprofit's disabled clients found in contempt of court

He also claimed Govoni, Sr. offered to pay him $17,000 and renegotiated extended terms. However, the lawsuit claims more than $700,000 in principal and interest is still owed for the loan. 

The backstory:

Leo Govoni, Sr. is the founder of the Center for Special Needs Trust, a non-profit that handled trust funds for those with disabilities. The center filed for bankruptcy more than a year ago after discovering it was missing $100 million. 

MORE: Businessman accused of taking $100M from special needs trust funds violates judge’s court order

Govoni is accused of taking the funds in the form of loans over a 10-year period for himself and at least one other company he owns. That money was supposed to go to families caring for loved ones with disabilities. 

A judge previously found Govoni liable for the $100 million, plus an additional $20 million in interest. FOX13 tried to question him in May during a hearing where a judge found him in contempt for ignoring orders to hand over financial records. He and his attorney didn’t have a comment. 

READ: Court records reveal how much families lost in case of embattled Pinellas special needs trust company

In May, a court ordered Govoni to hand over financial records for Big Storm Brewing and earlier this year, control of Big Storm and numerous other businesses linked to Govoni was handed to court-appointed officials. 

There’s still a question of where the money is. 

Leo Govoni, Jr. was listed as a co-conspirator in the lawsuit. The plaintiff alleges he was involved in the initial discussions about the loan. Neither the father nor son responded to our questions for comment. Big Storm Brewing also has not responded. 

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from court documents obtained from the Hillsborough County Circuit Court. 

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