TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Families are reacting to the news that Leo Govoni, the Pinellas County businessman accused of draining millions from special needs trusts meant to help disabled people and their families, has been criminally indicted.

Govoni’s personal accountant, John Witeck, was also arrested, the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed.

Milt McMinn said his son, Chase, was shot in the head by a disgruntled customer at a Colorado auto body shop eight years ago.

While Chase miraculously survived, his injuries left him a quadriplegic and unable to speak.

Through several lawsuits, Chase was awarded money

Like many others, he entrusted those funds to Govoni’s now bankrupt non-profit.

Although McMinn didn’t get to see Govoni and Witeck in court Monday, it was welcome news.

“Nice, about darn time,” he said. “I’m hoping that we get some money back.”

Erin Sumrall said an incident at a hospital seven years ago left her brother, Sean, a quadriplegic.

Sean reached a settlement with the hospital in November 2023.

In a similar tale, Sean put the money in a trust for safekeeping.

Most of those dollars are now gone, and the non-profit’s founder and accountant are behind bars.

“I feel like relieved for all the families right now that have been suffering with money that has been missing from all of their accounts, and their families have had to be supporting them and compensate in some way for that,” Sumrall said.

Kimberly Muszinski entrusted Govoni’s non-profit, The Center For Special Needs Trust Administration, to manage her daughter Abby’s money she received in a wrongful birth case.

Abby has since passed away, but Monday, Muszinski’s decade long fight came to a head.

“It means so much just to have known that we found justice once and for all — after 10 years of fighting this, it’s absolutely incredible,” she explained.

Govoni remains innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

His attorney, Paul Sisco, said some of the information from law enforcement, he might be seeing for the first time.

Sisco explained that he will now have to take a deep dive into that investigation before moving forward.

“There’s a lot of homework to do at this point, and a lot of learning to do and a lot of seeing the extent of the investigation and seeing what we find credible and what we don’t,” he said.

Govoni and Witeck are facing 15 grand jury charges: conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, bank fraud, illegal monetary transactions, and false bankruptcy declaration.

Govoni is due back in court at 2 p.m. on Thursday.