Billionaire Real Estate Tycoon Breaks Silence to Disown Alleged Scamming Son
America’s wealthiest real estate developer didn’t mince his words when he cut ties with his son.

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Donald Bren—America’s wealthiest real-estate developer with a net worth topping $19 billion—has publicly distanced himself from his son after the heir was accused of scamming investors out of millions. Bren, 92, cooly addressed his 33-year-old son, David Bren, in a statement released in the wake of new lawsuits claiming that the younger Bren’s luxury social club, The Bunker, was a “mirage.” “We do not have a personal or business relationship with this individual,” Donald Bren said. In the lawsuits, David Bren was accused of using his last name to convince investors to fund the members club pitched as a “SoHo House for car lovers.” Memberships cost $14,500-a-month and promised access to a fleet of luxury cars worth $50 million, expensive wine, private smoking lounges and fancy dinners. Many investors allege that they were convinced by David Bren’s prestigious last name and more than a dozen claim they invested six and seven-figure sums. One lawsuit claims, however, that “The Bunker does not exist. There is no ultra-high end automotive club. There are no members. The business is a mirage.”
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