FBI Searches Beverly Hills Mansion of Former Eric Swalwell Donor in Widening Probe
FBI agents searched the Beverly Hills mansion of billionaire timeshare developer Stephen Cloobeck early Tuesday as part of the federal investigation into former Rep. Eric Swalwell.
Two people familiar with the investigation told the Associated Press the search was tied to the Swalwell case. The California Democrat spent time at the donor’s home before resigning from Congress in April.
Agents were looking for electronic devices and records pertaining to prostitution, a senior law enforcement official told Reuters. Cloobeck was not home at the time, and no one was arrested.
FBI spokesperson Lourdes Arocho would say only that agents “conducted an operation in the Los Angeles region related to an ongoing criminal investigation.” She added, “We have no further comment.”
The warrant remains under seal, NBC Los Angeles reported. Video from outside the North Roxbury Drive property showed several agents and yellow caution tape in front of the home.
Attorneys for Swalwell and Cloobeck did not respond to emails seeking comment, Reuters said. Swalwell has denied criminal wrongdoing.
A Widening Investigation
Tuesday’s search is the latest escalation in the case. In August, federal agents seized Swalwell’s electronic devices at San Francisco International Airport and searched his home in Washington, D.C.
Swalwell resigned his House seat and quit the race for California governor in April after four women accused him of misconduct ranging from sexual assault to sending unsolicited explicit images.
He has apologized for “mistakes in judgment” but has said the allegations are false and vowed to fight them.
The Department of Homeland Security has also said it looked into allegations that Swalwell illegally employed a Brazilian nanny.
Other prosecutors are also involved. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has said it is investigating a former staffer’s allegation that Swalwell raped her at a New York hotel in 2024, AP reported.
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said its sex crimes unit is weighing whether to bring charges in a case involving Swalwell, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Cloobeck, who founded Diamond Resorts International and briefly ran for governor himself, has given more than $23,000 to Swalwell’s congressional campaigns since 2017, federal campaign finance records show.
He cut ties with Swalwell as the accusations mounted. “I am no longer associated with a man that takes advantage of women,” Cloobeck told the New York Post in April.
Cloobeck faces his own legal trouble. Los Angeles County prosecutors charged him earlier this year with trying to dissuade witnesses in the criminal case against his former fiancée, and he has pleaded not guilty.
Swalwell, a seven-term congressman from the San Francisco Bay Area, was one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent Democratic critics and served as a House impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment.
His exit from the governor’s race opened the field to other Democrats. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra now faces Republican Steve Hilton in the Nov. 3 general election.
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