Dr. Reza Nabavi, co-founder of the luxury rehabilitation center where Presley Gerber died in what authorities suspect was an overdose, has been photographed publicly for the first time since the tragedy, as details about his own past drug-related convictions come to light.
Exclusive photographs obtained by Our News Outlet show the 50-year-old leaving his $4.25 million property in Malibu, California, on Friday morning. Wearing an olive-colored surf poncho, Nabavi headed to a nearby Olympic-size pool at Pepperdine University for a swim.
Nabavi and his partner, Dr. Maryam Akbar, operate Resolutions Living in Santa Monica. Presley, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, died at the facility on Sunday following a long struggle with substance abuse, panic attacks and other mental health challenges.
Carrying blue swimming goggles, the bearded clinical psychologist appeared relaxed as he made his way toward a black Mercedes S450 for his morning workout.
Nabavi is now facing renewed scrutiny after records revealed that California officials once rejected his application for a psychology license because of a criminal history involving drugs and a minor.
Details of arrests in April and June 2002 appear in a 2008 filing with the California Board of Psychology. In the document, Nabavi asked for his probationary license to be granted “unconditional status.”
Dr. Reza Nabavi, 50, co-founded the Santa Monica addiction treatment center where Presley Gerber died and has now been photographed for the first time since the incident
Nabavi was seen in Malibu wearing an olive-green surf poncho and slides while heading out for a morning swim
According to the board filing, Nabavi was arrested in Alameda County after officers found him asleep inside a vehicle with a teenage girl, who was also sleeping. Police reportedly discovered drugs and drug paraphernalia in the car.
The filing states that, shortly after his conviction in that case and while he was on probation, Nabavi was allegedly found possessing a controlled substance again. That incident resulted in a second conviction in June 2002.
Page Six, citing official records, reported that the girl was 15 years old and under the influence of methamphetamine while with Nabavi, who was then 25.
Police reportedly found methamphetamine, marijuana, a hunting knife, a handgun and ammunition inside the vehicle, according to Page Six.
Nabavi pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possessing a controlled substance in the first case. His second arrest reportedly involved methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, and he again entered a no-contest plea.
Our News Outlet has contacted Nabavi seeking a response to the allegations and has not received a comment.
The model, pictured in New York in 2019, had spoken publicly about his struggles with addiction and mental health, including his use of medication in December
Resolutions Living co-founder Nabavi was seen holding swimming goggles as he got into his black Mercedes-Benz
The psychologist was photographed in Malibu as questions continue to surround the Santa Monica treatment facility he helped establish
He received three years of probation for each case. Two years later, Nabavi earned a PhD in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology as he sought to rebuild his life.
California’s psychology board initially rejected his license application in 2004 because of the two arrests, according to state records. Sixteen months later, however, he was permitted to register under probationary terms and subject to strict restrictions.
The 2008 filing says those conditions included a psychological assessment, close professional supervision, abstaining from drugs and alcohol, random fluid testing, and participation in alcohol and drug treatment programs.
It adds that Nabavi ‘has made great strides in his rehabilitation. He has been clean and sober since May 31, 2002. Since that time he completed his higher education, including a master’s degree and a doctorate.
‘He has regularly participated in Narcotics Anonymous and has been a sponsor to others who are battling addiction.’
Nabavi convinced the psychology board at a hearing to end the probationary period, the filing reveals.
The Resolutions Living facility, where Presley was found dead, is pictured
The gated entrance of the facility, in a ritzy Santa Monica neighborhood, is seen
It said he ‘recognizes that he cannot use drugs or alcohol even recreationally.’ And it added ‘he acknowledged his responsibility for his past misconduct.’
This allowed Nabavi to start in private practice and, in 2013, establish his upscale sober-living home Resolutions Living – where 27-year-old Presley died of a suspected overdose.
The facility, in a ritzy enclave of Santa Monica, is a seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom residence worth $7.7 million.
It also features a movie theater and a gym. Recovery there can cost between $5,000 and $15,000 a month depending on the treatment plan.
Troubled former model Gerber is believed to have been found in one of the bedrooms after checking into the facility just the night before.
Audio of the 9.35am emergency 911, obtained by Our News Outlet, reveals the words ‘cardiac arrest’ followed by ‘overdose’ and how his condition worsened by the second.
Insiders told Our News Outlet that Gerber’s parents did all they could to help him have a fresh start. Source: presleygerber/Instagram
His parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, were desperate for their son to get help, our source said. Above, Presley with his parents and his sister Kaia Gerber in May
Sources close to Gerber told TMZ that a physician had been prescribing him ketamine despite knowing his past problems with the drug.
Mom Cindy Crawford, 60, has been left ‘heartbroken’ by the tragedy.
‘Cindy is completely in shock over Presley’s devastating death,’ a source told People.
Another source close to his sister Kaia Gerber, 25, said of the family: ‘They are saddened beyond words. Kaia loved that Presley was so open about his struggles. His family was so proud that he was finding strength in helping others.’
Meanwhile, ‘Cindy and Rande could not have been more supportive of Presley,’ said an additional source.
‘They were always there for him and did everything they could to help him. He was deeply loved. This was never a situation involving two absent Hollywood parents.’
Siblings Kaia and Presley – pictured in 2018 – were known to have a close relationship
Gerber was just 15 when he was thrust into the spotlight, following his mother’s footsteps down catwalks and landing jobs with the likes of Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana.
But the pressure quickly proved to be too much for him and he quit modeling after a few years.
Behind the scenes, Presley was already struggling with his mental health and a feeling that he ‘didn’t ever think he was enough,’ a source told Our News Outlet.
It was also around this time that he started to turn to hard drugs.
Presley harbored hopes of a career away from the industry that had made his family famous, at one point weighing whether to become a photographer or a real estate agent.
‘He wanted to find his own path, away from his famous parents,’ a source told us. ‘He wanted a career that was all his that he was proud of.’
By 2018, he was already a top model as he walked the Prabal Gurung fashion show during New York Fashion Week
Earlier this year, he even started thinking about becoming a professional therapist.
But none of those plans ever fully materialized, and Presley continued to struggle to find his footing before his shock death.
Before his first runway as a teenager, he was known for his wide smile and laid-back Malibu look.
But the change in him over the years was striking, with the young model tattooing his face with the word ‘misunderstood’ and being arrested for DUI in 2018.
‘There’s something to be said about when I started working, which was like around the age of 14 and I started traveling and I stopped doing like all [sports],’ Presley said in an Instagram video in March.
‘What I’m trying to say is the less activity that was in my life, especially for me in the ocean, like the more medication I found having to be integrated into my life, [my] quality of life rapidly decreased with the decrease in natural endorphins and dopamine.’
‘Presley really struggled to find his place in the world, but he was lost,’ said a source close to the Gerber family.
‘He had ADHD so it was hard for him to focus, it was a challenge sometimes to process his thoughts.’
