The wife of missing Fort Lauderdale millionaire Guma Aguiar is asking the court to allow her to sell their mansion and yacht because she claims their fortune has been virtually cut in half.
In a motion filed earlier this week, Jamie Aguiar says she and her children don't need the house or boat left behind by the 35-year-old businessman.
"Both the home and the boat are far too large and expensive for Jamie to maintain and keeping them would not be conducive to Jamie's goal of conserving funds," her attorney, William Scherer, wrote in the motion.
Aguiar was last seen on June 19 boating into stormy conditions. The tender to his yacht was found washed ashore the next morning with the ignition running and lights on. Police have called the disappearance strange.
"With Guma gone, Jamie must conserve what remains of the fortune they once had which has been virtually cut in half due to Guma's tumultuous litigation with his uncle and his exorbitant spending while he was ill," Scherer wrote in the motion. "Jamie has concluded that she must face the possibility that she may never see Guma again and, accordingly, must be frugal to preserve the family fortune to the greatest extent possible."
Jamie Aguiar and Guma Aguiar's mother, Ellen Aguiar, are in the midst of a legal battle over who will get control of his estate, valued at around $100 million.
Guma Aguiar made a fortune when the Texas-based energy company he ran with his uncle was sold for a reported $2.5 billion in 2006. But he has been embroiled in lawsuits with his uncle, Thomas Kaplan, over money since the sale of their company.
Aguiar’s Fort Lauderdale home is valued at $5 million, according to the court petition filed by his mother for control of the estate. His luxury yacht, The Zion, is valued at $2 million. The petition also states he has $25 million in stocks and bonds and $15 million in cash.
