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Friday, June 22, 2012

Guma Aguiar: Missing Florida Millionaire May Be Alive and 'Suffering from Psychosis'

                                    Missing billionaire Guma Aguiar and his wife Jamie.

Troubled millionaire Guma Aguiar who disappeared at sea may be alive and in a "delusional state or be suffering from psychosis," according to a legal document obtained by ABC News and filed by Aguiar's mother.

Ellen Aguiar filed the court documents with the Broward County Circuit Court on Thursday to become the conservator or temporary guardian of Aguiar's estate, which is valued at more than $100 million.

On Wednesday morning, Aguiar's 31-foot fishing boat washed up on a Fort Lauderdale beach with the engine running and lights on, but with no sign of its Brazilian-born owner.

The U.S. Coast Guard and multiple police agencies launched a search for Aguiar, but the Coast Guard search suspended their search on Thursday night.

The suspension of the search, Aguiar's mother's legal filing and the lack of a body have raised questions about what exactly happened on Aguiar's boat after he left his dock on Tuesday night.

Fort Lauderdale Det. Travis Mandell said that surveillance footage shows Aguiar getting on his boat alone and setting sail alone.

"There's no evidence at this point to suggest that anyone else was on the vessel except Guma," Mandell said.

As for what happened when he made it out to sea, "Anything is possible," Mandell said.

Ellen Aguiar said on Thursday morning that she wanted to hope for the best, but was realistic about the fate her son may have met since it appeared that his boat was caught in a storm.

"I would be delighted to hear that he was kidnapped and being taken great care of, and I believe in miracles and would hope for a miracle. I think, realistically, what happened is pretty clear," she told ABCNews.com. "The likelihood is that he was tossed off the boat into the waves. The boat was found, but the body has not been found."

Later on Thursday she filed court documents for control of his estate, which includes $65 million in bank assets, $35 million in Israeli real estate, the $5 million Florida home he shares with his family, and seven cars and a yacht valued at over $3 million.

"The Absentee disappeared as the result of mental derangement, or other mental cause, or, in the alternative, disappeared under circumstances indicating that he may have died, either naturally, accidentally, or at the hand of another," the document states.

Guma Aguiar's cell phone and wallet were found on his boat when it ran aground, according to the filing.

"The Absentee's relatives have not communicated with or been contacted by the Absentee since June 19, 2012," the document said. "It is believed that the Absentee may have, may be in a delusional state or be suffering from psychosis or otherwise may have disappeared."

Court documents show that just last month, on May 11, Guma Aguiar had amended his declaration designating primary guardianship over his personal property "in the event of my incapacity" from his wife Jamie Aguiar to his mother.

In an earlier version of the document, from March 2012, Aguiar had listed his wife as the primary guardian and his mother as the secondary. In the amended document, his mother is the primary guardian and his brother is the secondary. His wife is no longer listed on the document.

The devoutly Jewish Aguiar is known for being the main sponsor for an elite Israeli soccer team and making multi-million dollar charitable gifts to Jewish organizations, he has also had a number of personal transgressions.

He has been arrested several times, including for drug possession and driving under the influence, according to court records. He is also currently on probation after pleading no contest to domestic violence charges.

In 2010, he was involuntarily admitted to an Israeli psychiatric hospital after his erratic behavior.

At the time, his family released a statement saying, "Guma Aguiar has been subjected for a prolonged period of time to intensive emotional pressures caused by malicious court cases in the United States concerning past business dealings with his uncle."

Aguiar, 35, made his fortune in 2006 when he and his uncle Thomas Kaplan sold their Texas-based energy company for a reported $2.5 billion. The two have been in a messy legal battle since 2009 over the division of the money.

They went on to say that his was the victim of what amounted to "psychological terrorism."

In 2011, he was appointed an emergency guardian after his wife and mother petitioned a Miami-Dade judge for one, according to the Sun Sentinel.

"When conflicts arose…conflicts arose," Ellen Aguiar said when asked about some of her son's troubles. "There were many things going on that I'm going to refrain from addressing."

 Source: ABC News
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