C.E.O. Choked Man Who Danced Barefoot on Cruise Ship, U.S. Says

U.S.|C.E.O. Choked Man Who Danced Barefoot on Cruise Ship, U.S. Says

The chief executive of a major U.S. title insurance company is facing a criminal charge over choking another passenger aboard a Caribbean cruise, an altercation that an investigator said began when the C.E.O.’s wife told the other man to put on his shoes while dancing at one of the ship’s bars, the F.B.I. said on Thursday.

Kenneth D. DeGiorgio, the C.E.O. of First American Financial Corporation, which reported more than $6 billion in revenue last year and had more than 19,000 employees as of the end of 2024, was charged with assault, the authorities said.

The confrontation occurred on March 31 aboard the Resilient Lady, an adults-only cruise ship operated by Virgin Voyages, which was about 70 nautical miles west of Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique, according to a criminal complaint.

Investigators said that the victim had told them that he was on the dance floor at one of the ship’s bars, On the Rocks, when Mr. DeGiorgio grabbed him by the neck and started choking him, which security camera footage corroborated. The man, whose identity was not revealed, said that Mr. DeGiorgio had threatened to kill him.

The altercation began shortly after Mr. DeGiorgio’s wife had confronted the man about barefoot dancing, telling him, “Look, we are all grown-ups here — can you put your shoes on?” Mr. DeGiorgio’s wife told investigators that the man had made a crude remark to her, and the security video showed him giving her the middle finger, according to the F.B.I.

The ship’s captain ordered Mr. DeGiorgio not to leave his stateroom until the cruise liner reached San Juan, Puerto Rico, its next port of call, the next day. Once there, he refused to answer F.B.I. agents’ questions and requested a lawyer, the authorities said.

“Violent crimes committed aboard cruise ships fall under federal jurisdiction, and we take them very seriously,” Devin J. Kowalski, the acting special agent in charge of the F.B.I.’s San Juan field office, said in a statement on Thursday. “If you break the law at sea, expect to face consequences on land.”

In a statement to the The New York Times on Thursday, Mr. DeGiorgio’s legal team pushed back on allegations that he had been the aggressor.

“Mr. DeGiorgio responded to the actions of an individual who harassed his wife, making her feel threatened and intimidated,” the statement said. “Although charged with a simple misdemeanor, Mr. DeGiorgio looks forward to being absolved of any wrongdoing.”

Mr. DeGiorgio, who was released by the authorities and who lives near Los Angeles, faces up to one year in prison if convicted of the assault charge.

Corporate filings show that Mr. DeGiorgio received nearly $7.8 million in total compensation in 2024 from First American Financial, a publicly traded company based in Santa Ana, Calif. The company, which provides title insurance and other financial services products, did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Nor did a representative for Virgin Voyages.

Alan Feuer contributed reporting.