'Chobani' Yogurt King's Ex-Wife Kidnapped in West Palm Beach

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Vatan Newspaper, 31 August 2018)


Never a dull moment in the exciting world of yogurt.

In West Palm Beach, Florida, on the morning of 27 August, Mustafa
Gençoğlanoğlu (45) was painting the walls in the home of Ayşe Giray
(59), the ex-wife of Hamdi Ulukaya, the famous owner and founder
of the yogurt company 'Chobani'.  After finishing his work, Giray
asked Gençoğlanoğlu to drop her at the train station, at which point
Gençoğlanoğlu fired 5-6 shots from a stun gun at Giray, disabling
her. (!)

Gençoğlanoğlu took Giray to a home rented by his partner-in-crime
Murat Ekdi (38), the son of a tribal leader in Siirt province, Turkey,
who had feld to the USA.  When Giray awoke the two suspects put
a gun which had been used to shoot three people into Giray's hand
(evidently to get her fingerprints on it as an incriminating threat). 
Next, the suspects demanded $4 million from Giray, who said she
could only give them $2.5 million.

The three then went to Giray's bank, with Giray entering and the
other two remaining outside.  Giray explained what was happening
to the bank teller and bank officials quickly put her into a safe room,
notifying the police, as well.  When the suspects saw that Giray
had been moved from the teller's window they tried to escape. Police
nabbed the suspects and found the stun-gun, black gloves and a
mask in the car.  Gençoğlanoğlu and Ekdi were taken to jail.


        The Yogurt King has moved on...

Ayşe Giray is a pediatrician and is divorced from Ulukaya, who
immigrated to the USA from Tunceli, Turkey, and founded
America's most popular yogurt brand 'Çhobani'.  Giray is said
to have received $1 billion from Ulukaya in the divorce
settlement.  Ulukaya married his current wife Louise, the founder
and  owner of 'Food Dreams Foundation', in January and the
couple celebrated the marriage in Istanbul on 26 August with
Ulukaya's Turkish friends and relatives.