We haven’t seen or heard much from former California Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14) since he abandoned his gubernatorial run and resigned from Congress in disgrace in April amid allegations of sexual abuse and rape.
For a few days after the scandal broke, he holed up in the mansion of his buddy, billionaire Stephen Cloobeck — but then lefty timeshare titan turned on him, kicked him out of his house, and demanded that he return $1 million in donations.
Now it’s Cloobeck’s turn to feel the heat, as he was arrested in West Hollywood Tuesday and charged with a felony for attempting to prevent or dissuade a victim or witness from testifying.
West Hollywood deputies arrested Cloobeck after he turned himself in following a warrant issued for his arrest, The California Post can confirm. He was released on a $300,000 bond at 1:17 p.m. Tuesday after being held there since around 11 a.m. that day.
The circumstances surrounding the charges are unclear, or where the warrant was issued out of.
If convicted of the felony charge, Cloobeck faces up to four years in prison.
Cloobeck was handcuffed and taken into custody by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies in West Hollywood late Tuesday morning ... though he was released a few hours later after making a $300,000 bond. pic.twitter.com/YJuWOqmaDI
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 13, 2026
His spokesman quickly proclaimed his innocence, saying, “These charges are false and we look forward to our day in court.”
MORE: Eric Swalwell Continues to Crash and Burn As Billionaire Boots Him From Mansion He Was Hiding In
Different Strokes: Swalwell’s Pervy Snapchat Videos Will Have You Reaching for the Bleach
Cloobeck has an, um, interesting history of his own and was recently in a relationship with a former Penthouse pet who is accused of scheming to defraud wealthy men. She’s been charged with multiple felonies, including grand theft, burglary, and unauthorized use of personal identifying information.
He also has bad taste in candidates:
For a short time, Cloobeck was among the crowded field running for state governor.
But he bowed out in November, announcing on CNN he was throwing his support behind then-Congressman Eric Swalwell.
It was the philanthropist’s first-ever political campaign, which he funded through a fortune amassed in the real estate industry. In a UC Berkeley poll co-sponsored by The Times last fall, Cloobeck received less than half of 1% of the support of registered voters.
Cloobeck said he had launched his run because he could not find a single qualified candidate — until he endorsed Swalwell.
Swalwell always seemed like a sleaze, and now he and his gross story are back in the headlines. We’ll bring you more information as it becomes available.
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