Brian Snyder/REUTERS
Those that knew Robert Flaxman, the rich actual property mogul who served a month in jail over the so-called Varsity Blues school admissions scandal, have been shocked to be taught the 66-year-old was discovered lifeless at his $16 million Malibu mansion final week.
The Los Angeles Coroner’s Workplace dominated the loss of life a suicide.
In an electronic mail, Invoice Weinreb, the lawyer who represented Flaxman within the school admissions case, mentioned, “I can inform you that I used to be shocked and saddened by the information, which got here as an entire shock.”
Flaxman’s first spouse, Laurie Henderson, was additionally surprised.
“When you concentrate on it, no person is aware of what folks’s demons are,” Henderson instructed The Day by day Beast on Thursday. “Folks do issues for a cause [and] they don’t even know what the reason being.”
“I don’t know why he dedicated suicide,” she added. “I’ve been sick about all of it day.”
Flaxman owned a $600-million actual property agency referred to as Crown Realty & Growth. He lately bought off a number of of his personal multi-million-dollar properties, together with a pair of $38-million Beverly Hills mansions and a $7.7 million dwelling in Malibu, in response to The Actual Deal, which first reported Flaxman’s loss of life.
Henderson, 64, recalled the person she met in school and married at age 21 as a “nice man” who graduated high of his class from chiropractic faculty within the early Nineteen Eighties. Flaxman “in all probability might have touched something and turned it into gold,” she mentioned, including that as a scholar he pulled in an additional $8,000 per week or so—roughly $26,000 immediately, adjusted for inflation—promoting water softeners as a aspect hustle. He was additionally managing a big mall on the time, and have become extra invested in actual property as their relationship went on. “That was his ardour from once I first met him,” Henderson instructed The Day by day Beast.
After their divorce, Henderson mentioned the 2 remained shut for a number of years till her new husband grew to become jealous and compelled her to cease speaking with Flaxman altogether. Within the ensuing interval, Flaxman remarried and had two kids and Henderson reconnected with Flaxman after divorcing her second husband. He finally began partying and consuming extra closely, mentioned Henderson, who by then had developed a heat friendship along with her ex, and have become recognized for internet hosting glittery occasions at his Beverly Hills properties, even courting a Playboy bunny. It was virtually like his earlier life—the chiropractic job, the snug marriage—was “erased,” Henderson mentioned.
“I believe he bought into the cocktails just a little an excessive amount of, the medication,” she mentioned. “He bought into that, and he form of began liking that fairly a bit. I believe the cash, mixed with all that—there’s simply no boundaries.”
Nonetheless, Henderson acknowledged, that’s what folks do in Los Angeles. And, she mentioned, “He might need partied, however he did that as a result of he might afford to try this. However people who mattered to him, mattered to him. He really cared about folks.”
Henderson mentioned Flaxman, who was by then divorced for the second time, requested her to marry him once more, however she declined, explaining that she “liked him, however wasn’t in love with him.”
In 2019, Flaxman was charged with bribing a take a look at proctor to inflate his daughter’s ACT scores—one in every of almost 60 folks charged within the high-profile dishonest scandal, which sucked in stars like Lori Laughlin and Felicity Huffman, and fellow businessmen like investor Robert Zangrillo,who was later pardoned by then-President Donald Trump. Flaxman served one month in jail and paid $50,000 in fines. On the time, a spokesperson mentioned Flaxman was “deeply remorseful” and “accepts the court docket’s willpower of punishment as simply.” (Flaxman was initially additionally charged for allegedly having paid a $250,000 bribe to get his older son into the College of California San Diego, however the cost was subsequently dropped.)
Henderson prompt the publicity across the scandal might have contributed to her ex-husband’s unhappiness.
“Each household has troubles,” she mentioned. “However once you’re on the market within the information, your troubles are going to be greater than all people else’s. And he didn’t actually have a method to cover them anymore.”
Nonetheless, Henderson maintained that Flaxman had dealt with the state of affairs with “grace,” and had not misplaced many shut buddies due to it. He was married for the third time lower than two years after his sentencing, in Could 2021, to a girl with whom he had a younger son.
That’s what made Flaxman’s loss of life all of the extra complicated to Henderson. “I can’t think about him doing this to his son, his littlest son, except he actually felt that there was no method out,” she mentioned.
Henderson mentioned she was “saddened” by the thought that Flaxman might have struggled with the place to seek out assist.
“He’s good in each different method, however why wasn’t he good on this method?” she mentioned. “I’ll by no means get it. I'll by no means ever get it.”
“However I’ve already talked to him immediately,” she added. “‘I mentioned, ‘In the event you’re listening, I’m actually sorry.’ It simply sucks. It actually does.’”
Flaxman’s second spouse and present accomplice didn't reply to The Day by day Beast’s requests for remark.
In the event you or a liked one are scuffling with suicidal ideas, please attain out to the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Disaster Textual content Line by texting TALK to 741741. You may also textual content or dial 988.