LOS ANGELES—Billionaire real estate developer Stephen Cloobeck was arrested on Tuesday for a felony charge related to alleged witness tampering in the criminal case against his fiancée, adult creator and Penthouse Pet Mia Ventura. Ventura faces six felonies in a scheme to scam rich men and women as a companion available through dating sites.
Cloobeck, a one-time gubernatorial candidate in California and a former backer of embattled U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, posted a $300,000 bond for his release.
Court documents also show that Cloobeck is charged with a misdemeanor. The tabloids TMZ and the New York Post allege Cloobeck attempted to dissuade three of Ventura's victims from testifying. He also allegedly harassed a fourth witness in Ventura's case with what the outlets characterize as "annoying telephone calls."
Cloobeck will face a future court date in the coming months to officially be arraigned on the witness tampering charges.
Ventura currently faces two counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information, two counts of grand theft, one count of first-degree residential burglary with a person present, and one count of first-degree residential burglary.
She pleaded not guilty in March to all six charges before the Van Nuys Courthouse.
