Doctor Convicted in Assault on John Wayne’s Daughter, Friend

An Orange County Superior Court jury Monday convicted a Pomona physician of masterminding an assault on his ex-wife--the daughter of the late John Wayne--and her then-boyfriend during a bitter child custody fight in 1988.

Dr. Thomas Gionis, 38, faces a maximum of eight years in prison when he is sentenced June 12.

After less than two days of deliberations, the jury found Gionis guilty on four felony counts against him: conspiracy to commit assault, conspiracy to commit residential trespass, assault with a deadly weapon and assault with a firearm.

A jury in a 1990 trial had deadlocked 9 to 3 in favor of convicting Gionis of the assault on Aissa Wayne and her boyfriend, Roger W. Luby, at Luby’s Newport Beach estate.

Gionis was allowed to remain free on $100,000 bail after surrendering his passport. His attorney said he plans to appeal the conviction.

A felony conviction usually means that the California Medical Board begins an investigation that can lead to the lifting of a medical license, a board spokeswoman said.

After the verdict was announced, Gionis said the jury’s finding was “very disappointing, and I have complete faith in the judicial system. I’m sure that we will ultimately prevail. . . . We have complete confidence.”

Gionis blamed the verdict on “a predisposition on behalf of the jury to take an adverse look at ex-husbands . . . a predisposition to assume facts that are not in evidence and to deal with visceral feelings, rather than facts.”

Wayne and Luby were attacked at gunpoint by two men on Oct. 3, 1988. Wayne’s head was smashed twice against the concrete floor of the garage, requiring numerous stitches, while her hands were bound behind her. Both of Luby’s legs were slashed, one sustaining serious injuries.

Both men who carried out the attack admitted their roles to authorities.

The two--Jerrel L. Hintergardt and Jeffrey K. Bouey--were employed by a Beverly Hills private investigator named Oded Daniel Gal, who is scheduled to be tried next week. Gal had been hired by Gionis to work on the custody case. Bills and canceled checks introduced at the trial indicated that Gionis paid Gal about $75,000, including $40,000 around the time of the attack.