MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The former CEO of a Memphis IT company who’s facing rape charges had his third bond hearing Tuesday, but the judge pushed the decision to Friday.
Mark Giannini was indicted in January for aggravated rape and two counts of rape.
Tuesday, the former CEO entered the court room in navy blue jail scrubs. This is the second time he’s been arrested on rape charges, but this time he has to fight for bond.
The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said the rape charges involve three women. One of the attacks allegedly happened in 2002, and the others in 2013 and 2014.
Giannini is the founder and former CEO of Service Assurance, a computer and information technology company that he sold to Konica-Minolta.
A 25-year-old woman told police she was drugged and raped at Giannini’s home when she was hired to clean his home in June of 2014.
One of the new charges includes a 23-year-old woman who said she was also raped while working at his home in 2013.
The third case involves three rape charges from 2002 when a 19-year-old woman said she was raped gunpoint at the Registry Apartments in Cordova. The woman reportedly came forward after Giannini’s initial arrest.
Giannini was arrested on a Shelby County warrant earlier this year in Pinellas County, Florida, and then returned to Memphis.
A former employee testified Giannini told her he refused to go to jail when the first charges came down in June.
“He was either going to kill himself or flee to a country that does not extradite back to the United States,” she said.
The employee told the judge she quit working for Giannini shortly after his first arrest.
She was one of six witnesses called to the stand. Giannini’s sister testified and insisted she didn’t know what he was doing in Florida when he ran last time, but said she believes he’ll stick to the rules this go-round.
Kathy Bomar told the prosecutors, “I try to stay to stay out of my family’s business.”
But the state followed up that answer with, “Yet you’re sitting here today saying you’re definitely sure he would show back up to court?”
Bomar fired back, “I know he would.”
Detectives also told their side of the story, of the day they searched Giannini’s house and found drugs, guns, and other evidence from one of the alleged rapes.
Detective Kevin Helm said Giannini had some questionable items on him when they found him at his home in Eads.
“He had a passport, a small contact case with a narcotic I it. Later we found out it was Viagra. And a large sum of cash,” he said.
Now the judge is listening to recordings of phone calls Giannini made while in jail, and asked his lawyers to give him a bank statement to find out exactly how much the former CEO is worth.
Shelby County Prosecutor Jennifer Nichols said, “I feel like it’s going to give the judge a more clear picture so he can set the appropriate bond if a bond is appropriate.”
WREG also heard that Giannini may have made applied for a second passport. He will be back in court on Friday.
