The co-founder of
Enochian BioSciences Inc.
was arrested this week after being indicted on charges he was involved in a murder-for-hire scheme that led to the death of a Vermont man in 2018.
Serhat Gumrukcu, 39 years old, was arrested on Tuesday after being charged by a grand jury with conspiring to commission a murder that resulted in the death of Gregory Davis, who was found dead in a snowbank several miles from his Vermont residence, the U.S. attorney for Vermont said on Wednesday.
Dr. Gumrukcu, who lives in Los Angeles, had been listed on Enochian’s website prior to Wednesday afternoon as the company’s co-founder and inventor. He holds a medical degree and doctorate from Russian universities, according to an archived version of the website.
He created techniques for treating chronic infectious diseases and cancer, according to the archived site.
The company, which is based in Los Angeles, is developing several drugs for diseases including influenza, HIV and Covid-19, according to its website.
Enochian shares fell nearly 37% to $3.70 on Wednesday.
Enochian said in a statement that the incident leading to the arrest predates a merger that created Enochian in its current form and is completely unrelated to the company.
Chief Executive
Mark Dybul
said Dr. Gumrukcu has had no formal role in the company, and that his informal role as a scientific adviser has ended.
Former Gilead Sciences Inc. executive
Gregg Alton
will become Enochian’s lead independent board member, the company said. Mr. Alton’s roles at Gilead included chief patient officer and a brief stint as interim CEO before he left the company in 2019.
Dr. Gumrukcu owns nearly a third of Enochian’s outstanding shares, and is the company’s largest shareholder, according to data from FactSet.
Last week, Dr. Gumrukcu sold about 253,000 shares at a price of $8 each, grossing over $2 million, according to securities filings.
Dr. Gumrukcu’s remaining holdings include 24.7 million shares he owns directly and about 4.7 million shares owned by his spouse, according to the securities filings. His remaining holdings are worth about $108.7 million after the stock drop on Wednesday.
Dr. Gumrukcu is also director of the Seraph Research Institute, a nonprofit group focused on developing treatments for cancer, rare genetic disorders and infectious diseases.
Dr. Gumrukcu was expected to appear on Wednesday in a federal court in California. He was indicted along with a co-defendant from Las Vegas.
Write to Joseph Walker at [email protected]
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Appeared in the May 26, 2022, print edition as ‘Enochian Co-Founder Held in Murder Plot.’
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