CEO accused of choking man on cruise ship over barefoot dancing incident

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.

The incident took place on March 31 in international waters on the Resilient Lady cruise ship, according to a federal criminal complaint filed on April 1.

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. The security supervisor reviewed video footage and “determined DeGiorgio was the male shown on the surveillance footage choking the victim,” according to the complaint.

While on the dance floor, the complaint says that M.A. gave DeGiorgio’s wife, Nichol DeGiorgio, the middle finger.

The complaint alleges that the victim was dancing barefoot on the dance floor at the ship’s bar when DeGiorgio’s wife asked him to put his shoes on.

“N. DeGiorgio told him, ‘Look we are all grown-ups here, can you put your shoes on?’ The male responded, ‘Shut up you f—ing b—h,'” the complaint alleges.

It is noted that DeGiorgio’s wife took responsibility for the incident and told 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.”

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.” The victim also said that DeGiorgio “used a lot of force” and it felt like his “throat was going to be ripped out,” according to the document.

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DeGiorgio was ordered to stay in his room until the ship arrived at the port in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

After the FBI reviewed the footage, they attempted to interview DeGiorgio, who requested a lawyer and refused to answer any questions.

A spokesperson for DeGiorgio’s legal team told NBC News that he was protecting his wife.

“Mr. DeGiorgio responded to the actions of an individual who harassed his wife, making her feel threatened and intimidated,” the spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.

“Although charged with a simple misdemeanor, Mr. DeGiorgio looks forward to being absolved any wrongdoing,” they added.

DeGiorgio is charged with assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. If convicted, he faces up to one year in prison.