The Golden Bachelorette star Joan Vassos has opened up about her late first husband, John Vassos, discussing everything from their marriage to his fatal battle with pancreatic cancer to grieving his death. It has come to light that the business owner also faced legal issues in 2016 and was hit with fraud charges prior to his passing.
Who Was Joan Vassos’ 1st Husband John Vassos?
John owned and operated BCE Corporation and CapX Solutions before his death in January 2021, according to his obituary.
“John embraced life with vigor and never did anything halfway,” the obituary read. “If you were his friend, he loved you forever and would do anything for you. He was known for his epic generosity and it is impossible to count the number of people and organizations he supported.”
When he wasn’t working, John was a youth football coach and “loved seeing each player develop their skills while teaching them about the importance of sportsmanship and other life lessons.”
John and Joan met in in Ocean City, Maryland, when Joan was 20 and John was 21. The reality star told Kate Couric Media that she “had a wonderful life” with her husband and “loved being married.”
“When John and I first fell in love, it was all about family,” Joan explained. “We had a joyous, loving household with a lot of people in it, filled with love. When you walked into a room, John made you feel like you were the only person in it. He just had this knack. He made life fun. He made me feel very visible every day. Best 33 years ever.”
Inside Joan Vassos’ 1st Husband’s Legal Issues
John pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of tax fraud and one count of mail fraud in June 2017, according to court documents obtained by Life & Style on November 22, 2024.
John worked as a consultant for Sharp Business Systems (SBS) and participated in a scheme with Keith Forney, owner of Forney Enterprises, Inc. (FEI), as well as the president of SBS to “obtain a contract with the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts (Maryland AOC) for copier maintenance and repair services throughout the state’s court system,” according to a January 2020 press release from the Department of Justice.
“In 2009, the Maryland AOC solicited bids for the contract. The contract required that at least 20% of the work be performed by a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). SBS bid on the contract and identified FEI as the MBE. Forney, on behalf of FEI, signed a subcontracting agreement with the President of SBS. The Maryland AOC awarded the contract to SBS, and renewed the contract in 2010 and 2011,” the press release continued.
FEI performed no work and did not provide any services in the three years that the contract was in effect. However, FEI regularly submitted invoices for work done to SBS, with Forney falsely stating to the MBE compliance manager that the company was doing the work. Sharp Electronics, the parent company of SBS, paid FEI $400,000 for the work invoiced. Forney then gave John the full $400,000 payment, according to the press release.
John passed away before his sentencing, which led his case to be dismissed in June 2021. Forney, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to mail fraud, money laundering and tax fraud. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and given 36 months of supervised release, which was terminated early during the pandemic.
