Guma Aguiar

Guma Leandro Aguiar (May 31, 1977 – disappeared June 19, 2012; declared legally dead January 29, 2015 ) was a Brazilian-born American energy industrialist and millionaire businessman who split his time between the United States and Israel.

Aguiar was recognized as a philanthropist who supported a variety of Jewish causes including Nefesh B'Nefesh and the March of the Living.

Aguiar was born on May 31, 1977 in Rio de Janeiro.

He was one of four children of Ellen ( Kaplan), a Jewish mother, and Otto de Souza Aguiar, a Christian father.

His mother is the sister of billionaire investor Thomas Kaplan, and his father was an artist and model.

Though Ellen is halachically Jewish, she considers herself a born-again Christian; Guma was raised as a Christian and the rest of the Aguiar family practiced Christianity as well.

At age 26, Aguiar returned to Jewish observance after meeting rabbi Tovia Singer.

However, because he was born to an halachically Jewish mother, he did not need to formally convert.

His family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida when Aguiar was one year old.

He graduated from the Westminster Academy Christian School in 1995.

Aguiar enrolled at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina but dropped out after one year.

Aguiar was the vice chairman and chief executive officer of Leor Energy.

Aguiar began his career as a clerk on the floor of the NYMEX in 1999 where he focused on the energy markets, with particular emphasis on natural gas.

Transitioning from daily trading activity to the long-term physical markets, Aguiar joined with his uncle, Thomas Kaplan, in 2001 to manage a portfolio of family investments ranging from venture capital to private equity and debt.

During this time, he served as a director of several public and private companies and was given responsibility for creating a U.S.-based energy company focused on aggressive early-stage oil and gas exploration.

After assembling a diversified portfolio of energy properties in Louisiana and Texas, ranging from unconventional natural gas to shallow oil, Aguiar identified and executed Leor's acquisition of its flagship property in the Deep Bossier of East Texas in 2003.

Aguiar joined Cadence Resources in July 2002 and served as a Member of the Board of Directors of Corporate Development until June 30, 2003.

Aguiar was the director of the Lillian Jean Kaplan Foundation and was involved in numerous philanthropic activities.

He donated more than US$8 million to fund the activities of Nefesh B'Nefesh, a Zionist organization which promotes Aliyah (Jewish immigration) from North America and the United Kingdom to Israel.

He was a supporter of the March of the Living, which organizes educational programming in Poland and Israel to enable students to better understand the Holocaust and the rebirth of Zionism and the creation of the modern Jewish state of Israel.

In 2005, under Aguiar's executive management, Leor Energy engineered financings which fully capitalized the projects in Leor Energy LP.

Included in these transactions were Leor Energy Lp industrial alliance with Encana, a natural gas producer in North America and the Leor Energy Lp joint-venture partner in the Deep Bossier.

Under Aguiar, a mezzanine financing with hedge-fund Amaranth Capital LLC was achieved.

Leor Energy has a financial alliance with its first strategic equity partner, Goldman Sachs & Co.

In 2008, Aguiar founded the "Defender of Jerusalem Award" which recognizes public figures who have taken uniquely strong stances in support of Jerusalem.

In July 2009, Aguiar invested over $4 million (USD) in support of the Beitar Jerusalem Football Club.

For his philanthropic activities, in April 2009, The Jewish Week recognized Aguiar as one of the "36 under 36″ (one of 36 of the most influential Jewish leaders under the age of 36).

In October 2009, Aguiar and his wife Jamie served as the co-chairs of the "Facing Tomorrow" Conference in Jerusalem organized by Israel's President Shimon Peres.

During the conference, Aguiar was featured on a panel with the President and offered his vision of Israeli society and culture from the perspective of one of the country's most recognized entrepreneurs.

On July 21, 2009, Aguiar announced an investment of over US$4 million to support the Beitar Jerusalem Football Team which, despite a massive fan following, had grown into financial distress and was on the brink of collapse prior to Aguiar's financial contributions.

Aguiar was motivated to purchase the team out of his love for the sport combined with a passion for Jerusalem and Israel.

In September 2009, Aguiar took his commitment to Jerusalem sports to the next level when he invested over $1.5 million in the city's leading basketball franchise, Hapoel Jerusalem.

Since these investments, Aguiar became a fixture in Israeli social circles and regularly met with members of Knesset and local political and business leaders.

Aguiar managed the teams and was in contact with the general managers of both Betar (Itzik Kornfein) and Hapoel (Dani Klein).

In November 2009, Aguiar travelled with Kornfein to Brazil with the goal of scouting out players for the Betar team.

He made an effort to be at team practices and met with the players and staff of both teams.

Beitar fans attribute Beitar's winning the Toto Cup on 26 January 2010 to Aguiar's financial backing, although it was won while Aguiar was hospitalized in a psychiatric facility.

On June 20, 2012, Aguiar was reported missing after his unoccupied boat was found on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

The day before Aguiar went missing, a federal court judge ordered his mental health records be presented to the court as part of a lawsuit between him and his uncle Thomas Kaplan.

Aguiar was declared legally dead in January 2015.