Wayne’s Ex-Husband Denied Bail : Gionis to Be Held in Orange County Jail Pending His Trial

A judge today ordered Dr. Thomas A. Gionis held without bail in Orange County Jail pending his criminal trial for his alleged involvement in an attack on his ex-wife, Aissa Wayne, and her boyfriend, millionaire financier Roger Luby.

Harbor Municipal Court Judge Russell A. Bostrom ruled that the wealthy Pomona orthopedic surgeon poses a danger of flight and a threat to Wayne if released.

Prosecutors showed in a lengthy bail hearing that numerous overseas telephone calls had been made from Gionis’ home to Greece, where he has friends and family. Last month, Gionis had also obtained a passport for his 2-year-old daughter, Anastasia, who is the subject of a bitter custody battle that police contend led to the attack on Wayne last fall.

“It’s hard not to consider that this client is an extremely serious risk to flee this jurisdiction,” Bostrom said.

In holding that Gionis still represents a threat to Wayne, Bostrom noted that a private investigator who also has been charged in the case is at large in Europe. Two others have been arrested in the attack at Luby’s Newport Beach estate. Wayne was bloodied, and Luby, who filed a civil suit against Gionis Thursday seeking unspecified damages, suffered a slashed Achilles’ tendon.

Of the crime, Bostrom said, “This was an act of significant and substantial violence.”

Gionis’ attorney, Byron K. McMillan, said he will appeal the decision in Orange County Superior Court on Monday.

Gionis, 35, who has been in Newport Beach City Jail, will be transferred to Orange County Jail pending an April 17 preliminary hearing.

The prosecutor, Deputy Dist. Atty. Christopher J. Evans, said: “I think he did the right thing. It was a difficult decision for him to make. Obviously, he felt there is a danger to public safety.”

WAYNE TELLS OF FEARS

Part II, Page 1