Greed is a sin, especially when it comes to power, status, and above all: money. But since 35-year-old Guma Aguiar disappeared, last seen on June 19 in Fort Lauderdale, nasty and heated court battles have arose regarding who will acquire Aguiar’s $100 million fortune.

For those who knew Aguiar best, a successful business man that held a good reputation as a devoted husband and loving father, find it very difficult—almost impossible—that he would do what the media is considered Aguiar to have done: engineering his own disappearance.

Aguiar’s good friend Jerry Levine finds it very difficult to believe that he would just disappear, leaving his fortune and family. Levine told ABC News that Aguiar “was a very at ease guy, very comfortable in his own skin,” and that “he was funny, personable, charismatic.” Levine, who was also Aguiar’s filmmaker, finds it hard to believe that Aguiar would disappear in the middle of making a biographical documentary regarding Aguiar’s views on the Middle East, as well as his dedicated involvement with Israel’s sports teams.

The day after Aguiar was last seen, the early morning of June 20, his 31-foot fishing boat was found washed up on the shore with the engine still running and all of the lights still on. However, there was no sign of Aguiar himself.

So why would such a loving father with so much to live for just fake his own death or disappear? According to Levine, Aguiar also suffered from bi-polar disorder and depression, and seemed to be acting oddly during days leading up to his disappearance. Extremely stressed at the time of his disappearance, Aguiar was in a legal battle with former business partner, his billionaire uncle, Thomas Kaplan. In fact, the legal battle was over how to divide the $2.5 billion sale of the company that the two used to run together.

Levine describes Aguiar as either being extremely successful or nearly falling apart, just those two extremes and nothing in between.

“When he was at the top of his game, he could juggle like a juggler with, like, 12 balls. You’d see so many balls in the air. He really could do it, but when this disease would kick in, he’d lose grasp of that edge and all those balls would start falling down.”

But still as a close friend, Levine is positive that Aguiar did not commit suicide, despite rumors.

“I don’t think for a second he killed himself. It never even crossed my mind. A person like that was episodic, but still had his kind of capability and wasn’t all of a sudden going to take his life, certainly without leaving a note or doing something pretty obvious. The guy had a lot of guns that were accounted for. I mean, come on. You don’t want to die in the cauldron of a storm.”

Since no body has been found, one would think that those closest to him would be busy looking for him instead of fighting over his financial assets. Levine claims that both Aguiar’s mother, Ellen Aguiar, and wife, Jamie Aguiar, are known as gold-diggers.

According to ABC, “just a week after Aguiar’s disappearance, his wife and mother filed a flurry of legal documents seeking control of his assets and fortune.”

Now the two women are in a blow-out legal fight, making accusations against one another. Jamie claims that his mother was always just after his money, while Ellen is claiming that her son took off because his wife filed for divorce the very same day he disappeared.

Yet with no leads or evidence found regarding what has happened to Aguiar, the assets will not be granted to either of the women. A Florida court judge decided no woman will have control over his money and is giving control to attorneys that have represented neither of the women, until Aguiar is found—whether dead or alive.

Levine, as well as those who cared about Aguiar, is still holding onto a hope that is fading daily. “I still hope for the best, but the more time goes by, we’re expecting the worst,” he said.

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author

Elizabeth Lowry
Elizabeth graduated from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University with her specialization in Broadcast News as well as a minor in business and psychology. She enjoys writing, reading and researching about humanitarian affairs, health & fitness, fashion and sports. In her free time she enjoys working out, traveling and exploring different cultures, trying new things and spending time with her Chocolate Lab.

Related Posts

ABC Announce Coverage of Republican & Democratic Conventions

As the race for the White House enters its final months and both the candidates look to make their case directly to the American people, ABC News will provide comprehensive cross-platform coverage of the Republican National...

Miami Face-Eating May Have Been Caused By Legal Designer Drug

While zombie enthusiasts may cry foul, the rest of the world can rest assured that the Apocalypse is not yet upon us, after a man had his face literally chewed off in Miami over the weekend. It seemed like the perfect set up for any classic...

Obama’s Same-Sex Marriage Endorsement not Surprising

Washington, U.S.A. - Family Research Council (FRC) said that President Barrack Obama's endorsement of same-sex "marriage" is disappointing but not surprising. In an interview with ABC News, Obama announced that he now supports...