Prominent NYC Attorney Christopher Morvillo and Wife Neda Die in Sicily Yacht Tragedy

Prominent NYC Attorney Christopher Morvillo and Wife Neda Die in Sicily Yacht Tragedy

Prominent New York City attorney Christopher Morvillo and his wife, jewelry designer Neda Morvillo, died after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily this week. The couple was among six passengers who were missing after the Bayesian, a 183-foot vessel, went down in the water early on Monday, August 19, following a storm.

The final body from the yacht was found on Friday, August 23, bringing the total number of recovered bodies to six. The discovery comes after four bodies were recovered on Wednesday, August 21, while a fifth body was found in the wreckage.

Christopher Morvillo was a partner at the law firm Clifford Chance. He was known for his extensive experience, including serving as a lead federal prosecutor who worked on the criminal investigation of the September 11 terror attacks. He specialized in healthcare fraud, insurance fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, counter-terrorism and narcotics.

Neda Morvillo was a jewelry designer in New York City and listed her company under the name Neda Nassiri. According to her site, she trained with master goldsmith Cecelia Bauer and had been designing and hand-crafting fine jewelry for over 20 years.

The couple is survived by their two adult daughters, Sabrina and Sophia Morvillo.

The Bayesian Yacht Tragedy

The Bayesian was carrying 22 people at the time of the disaster. Immediately after it sank, 15 people were rescued and 1 body was recovered, later identified as chef Recaldo Thomas.

The Italian authorities have confirmed that British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch was one of the bodies found. His daughter Hannah remained missing at the time.

Christopher Morvillo represented Mike Lynch in a lengthy legal saga that dated back to the 2011 sale of Autonomy, a business software company Lynch founded, to Hewlett Packard. Lynch was acquitted in the U.S. in June on 15 fraud and conspiracy charges.

Following the verdict, Christopher Morvillo thanked the legal team for their help on LinkedIn. He noted that he was “so glad to be home” and ended his post with, “And they all lived happily ever after….”

Christopher and Neda Morvillo then joined Mike Lynch on the yacht “celebrating Lynch's acquittal,” a source told PEOPLE.