Stephen Cloobeck, a real estate developer and former Democratic candidate for California governor, was arrested in Los Angeles County on Tuesday, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department jail booking records cited by multiple outlets. The records show the 64-year-old is booked at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station, with an arrest time of 10:59 a.m. Cloobeck was arrested on a felony charge and is released shortly after booking, the reports say.
The New York Times reports that the arrest is tied to a felony case involving Cloobeck’s fiancée, a former Penthouse model, and that investigators suspect witness tampering. Other coverage similarly describes the arrest as occurring in Los Angeles County but does not add further details beyond the felony designation.
Cloobeck previously ran for governor as a Democrat but dropped out of the race in November, according to the reporting. The sources characterize the arrest as related to an existing felony matter; however, they do not provide additional information about the underlying allegations beyond the witness-tampering suspicion referenced by the New York Times.
