A person alleging victimization by Stephen Cloobeck has come forward to discuss the threatening calls he claims led to the billionaire’s arrest.
Mike Farag, age 70, recounts how Cloobeck’s partner, Adva Lavie, allegedly took advantage of him when he invited her over to offer modeling advice. He shared details of the January phone call with The California Post.
Farag reported that he received a call from an unidentified number, where an “aggressive” man allegedly warned him of potential legal repercussions should he testify in the court case involving the Penthouse Pet.
Cloobeck turned himself in at a West Hollywood police station on Tuesday but was later released on a $300,000 bail.
The accusations against him include attempts to influence witnesses, specifically men who claim Lavie deceived them after meeting through dating apps.
Describing the caller as a “bulldog kind of guy,” Farag said he chose to remain silent during the call, opting to let the man speak until he calmed down. “[You] let guys like this bark until [they] settle down,” he explained to The Post.
Farag, an accounting professor at Cal Poly, said the man refused on the phone call to reveal who he was but that he pieced together the facts to realize it was Cloobeck.
He continued: “I was getting these unknown phone calls from a gentleman who is going after me. I don’t know who he is…[he] was aggressive. I told him I would let [law enforcement know] that he called me.”
After the call, he told cops of the incident. On Tuesday, Cloobeck was arrested on four criminal counts, including one felony charge of preventing or dissuading a witness or victim from attending or testifying at a trial or proceeding that named Farag as the victim.
In the criminal complaint, it says Cloobeck “knowingly and maliciously” tried to “prevent and dissuade” Farag from “attending and giving testimony at a trial, proceeding, and inquiry authorized by law.”
Farag said: “I think he was trying to protect the lady.” He said he was stunned Cloobeck would want to marry Lavie. She’s set to face a criminal trial in May, alleging she used dating apps to defraud her victims.
“I am stunned…I am not judging him about who he would like to be with but..” he said. He refused to go into detail about his relationship with Lavie, signaling he wanted to move on.
“Life goes on,” he said. Farag said he would testify against Cloobeck if called to do so. Cloobeck has denied the charges against him.
The LA County Sheriff’s Office said on Wednesday: “On May 12, 2026, at approximately 10:59 a.m., Stephen Cloobeck surrendered at West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station on an outstanding felony warrant for alleged violation of dissuading or intimidating a witness or victim of a crime (136.1 PC).
“This investigation is being conducted by the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and the Los Angeles Police Department in connection with the Adva Lavie investigation. Mr. Cloobeck was released the same day after posting a $300,000 bail.”
If convicted on all counts, Cloobeck faces up to 11 years and six months in prison and up to $30,000 in fines.
The California Post reached out to LASD and attorneys for Cloobeck and Lavie for comment.
