Ex-gubernatorial candidate Stephen Cloobeck interfered with witness in girlfriend's case, authorities say

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

Real estate developer and former gubernatorial candidate Stephen Cloobeck, who exited the race in November, was arrested in Los Angeles County on Tuesday.Cloobeck, 64, was arrested before 11 a.m.and booked at the West Hollywood station.

He was freed at 1:17 p.m.after posting $300,000 bail, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department jail booking records.

He was booked on suspicion of attempting to prevent or dissuade a witness from testifying in connection to his fiancee’s criminal case, according to the Sheriff’s Department.Cloobeck could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Model and social media influencer Adva Lavie, 29, who is engaged to Cloobeck, is accused of burglarizing the homes of wealthy older men and younger women she’d met online.California She had a reputation as a glamorous, jet-setting model and social media influencer.

Now she’s accused of using dating apps to target men for burglary.Prosecutors allege that from 2023 to 2025, Lavie, who is also known as Mia Ventura, used dating apps and cultivated relationships to burglarize and steal from victims in Westlake Village, West Hollywood, Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.Lavie allegedly posed as a girlfriend and travel companion to gain access to victims’ homes and then stole cash, gold and designer items, prosecutors said.She has pleaded not guilty to two counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information, two counts of grand theft, one count of first-degree residential burglary with person present and one count of first-degree residential burglary, all felonies.

If convicted of all charges, Lavie faces up to 11 years and eight months in state prison.For a short time last year, 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 ph...