FBI Searches Beverly Hills Mansion in Probe Involving Former Rep. Eric Swalwell; Home Belongs to Former Supporter Stephen Cloobeck
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents searched a mansion in Beverly Hills, in Los Angeles County, California, early on October 27, in a step connected to an ongoing investigation involving former U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell, according to Reuters and the Associated Press. The home, on North Roxbury Drive, belongs to businessman Stephen Cloobeck, the founder of Diamond Resorts International and a former supporter of Swalwell.
Agents arrived at the property at about 7 a.m., according to multiple news reports. Cloobeck was not home at the time, and no one was arrested. An FBI spokesperson told reporters that agents had conducted an operation in the Los Angeles region related to an ongoing criminal investigation and had no further comment. A senior law enforcement official told Reuters that agents were looking for electronic devices and records pertaining to prostitution; the search warrant remains sealed.
It was not the first search in the investigation. In August, according to Reuters, CNN and other outlets, the FBI served Swalwell with a search warrant at San Francisco International Airport and seized his electronic devices, including his cell phone, and also searched his Washington, D.C., home. Local law enforcement agencies in New York and Los Angeles have also announced investigations into the allegations.
Swalwell, a California Democrat who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013, dropped out of the race for California governor and resigned his House seat in April after four women accused him of sexual misconduct ranging from sexual assault to sending unsolicited explicit images. According to Reuters, Swalwell has apologized for "mistakes in judgment" but has said the allegations are false and has vowed to fight them. Attorneys for Swalwell and Cloobeck did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
As of now, no criminal charges against Swalwell have been reported in connection with the investigation. During his gubernatorial campaign, Swalwell stayed at Cloobeck's home several times and used the property for political events; after the allegations surfaced, Cloobeck publicly cut ties with him in April.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 前联邦众议员Eric Swalwell的国会官方肖像（美国众议院摄影办公室，公共领域，经Wikimedia Commons）。
