One in all Stephen Cloobeck’s alleged victims has damaged cowl to open up concerning the allegedly threatening cellphone calls he acquired that sparked the billionaire’s arrest.
Mike Farag, 70, who was allegedly pilfered by Cloobeck’s beau Adva Lavie when he invited her over to present her modeling recommendation, advised The California Put up concerning the dialog from January.
He claimed he picked up the cellphone from an unknown quantity to an “aggressive” man who allegedly threatened authorized motion towards him if he testified within the Penthouse Pet’s courtroom case.
Cloobeck was arrested after handing himself right into a West Hollywood police station on Tuesday, earlier than being launched on $300,000 bail.
He has been accused of witness tampering with a number of males who accused Lavie of stealing from them after assembly on courting apps.
Farag mentioned the person who referred to as him was a “bulldog type of man” and mentioned he solely listened to him with out partaking. “[You] let guys like this bark till [they] calm down,” he advised The Put up.
Farag, an accounting professor at Cal Poly, mentioned the person refused on the cellphone name to disclose who he was however that he pieced collectively the info to appreciate it was Cloobeck.
He continued: “I used to be getting these unknown cellphone calls from a gentleman who’s going after me. I don’t know who he’s…[he] was aggressive. I advised him I might let [law enforcement know] that he referred to as me.”
After the decision, he advised cops of the incident. On Tuesday, Cloobeck was arrested on 4 prison counts, together with one felony cost of stopping or dissuading a witness or sufferer from attending or testifying at a trial or continuing that named Farag because the sufferer.
Within the prison grievance, it says Cloobeck “knowingly and maliciously” tried to “forestall and dissuade” Farag from “attending and giving testimony at a trial, continuing, and inquiry approved by regulation.”
Farag mentioned: “I believe he was attempting to guard the girl.” He mentioned he was shocked Cloobeck would need to marry Lavie. She’s set to face a prison trial in Could, alleging she used courting apps to defraud her victims.
“I’m shocked…I’m not judging him about who he want to be with however..” he mentioned. He refused to enter element about his relationship with Lavie, signaling he needed to maneuver on.
“Life goes on,” he mentioned. Farag mentioned he would testify towards Cloobeck if referred to as to take action. Cloobeck has denied the costs towards him.
The LA County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned on Wednesday: “On Could 12, 2026, at roughly 10:59 a.m., Stephen Cloobeck surrendered at West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station on an excellent felony warrant for alleged violation of dissuading or intimidating a witness or sufferer of against the law (136.1 PC).
“This investigation is being performed by the Malibu/Misplaced Hills Sheriff’s Station and the Los Angeles Police Division in reference to the Adva Lavie investigation. Mr. Cloobeck was launched the identical day after posting a $300,000 bail.”
If convicted on all counts, Cloobeck faces as much as 11 years and 6 months in jail and as much as $30,000 in fines.
The California Put up reached out to LASD and attorneys for Cloobeck and Lavie for remark.
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