Nathan Klima/he Boston Globe through Getty
A flamboyant actual property mogul who went to jail for a month within the “Varsity Blues” school admissions scandal killed himself at his Malibu dwelling final week.
Robert Flaxman, 66, was certainly one of dozens of well-heeled and celeb mother and father caught within the federal investigation. He pleaded responsible to paying the scheme’s mastermind $75,000 to assist his daughter cheat on the ACT school entrance take a look at.
“I can let you know that I used to be shocked and saddened by the information, which got here as a whole shock,” William Weinreb, Flaxman’s legal professional, advised The Each day Beast on Thursday.
The Actual Deal, which first reported Flaxman’s suicide, says the CEO of Crown Realty & Growth managed a $600 million portfolio earlier than he was arrested in 2019.
He threw over-the-top Beverly Hills pool events, dated a Playboy mannequin, was pushed round in Rolls Royces, and used the alias Robert Emerald.
However Flaxman had a troubled daughter and he was determined for her to land at a four-year school regardless of her poor grades and private difficulties, his lawyer stated in court docket papers.
He conspired with Rick Singer to have his daughter take the ACT at a Houston examination heart the place she received assist answering questions from a corrupt proctor—after which wrote off his “donation” to Singer’s faux charity on his taxes.
Flaxman—who purchased a $12 million mansion after being indicted—sobbed and pleaded for leniency when he was sentenced. “What I did was unsuitable and I make no excuses for it,” Flaxman stated then.
After his launch from jail, Flaxman beginning promoting off a few of his properties and decamped from Beverly Hills to Malibu, in line with The Actual Deal.
—with further reporting by Justin Rohrlich
In case you or a beloved one are combating 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 too can textual content or dial 988.