FBI agents searched a Beverly Hills mansion belonging to billionaire developer Stephen Cloobeck on Tuesday 27 October as part of an ongoing investigation linked to former US congressman Eric Swalwell.
The FBI confirmed that it carried out an operation in the Los Angeles area relating to an ongoing criminal investigation. The Associated Press and other US news organisations, citing people familiar with the inquiry, identified the property and linked the search to the investigation into Swalwell.
What happened at the Beverly Hills property?
Agents executed a search warrant at the home of Cloobeck, a property developer and former financial backer of Swalwell’s political campaigns. Swalwell does not own the mansion and was reported to have stayed there previously. Cloobeck said in April that he had cut ties with the former congressman.
FBI spokesperson Lourdes Arocho confirmed an operation connected to a criminal investigation but did not identify the subject or disclose what agents had sought. Local broadcaster ABC7 reported that the search warrant documents were sealed.
Reuters, citing an unnamed senior law enforcement official, reported that agents were seeking electronic devices and records relating to prostitution. That account has not been publicly confirmed in the warrant documents, and it does not establish that any offence occurred.
Reuters reported that Cloobeck was not at the property during the search and that no arrests were made. His lawyers told ABC7 that he continued to have faith in the judicial process.
Why is Eric Swalwell under investigation?
Swalwell, a California Democrat, resigned from the US House of Representatives and withdrew from the race for California governor in April 2026 after several women made allegations of sexual misconduct. The allegations reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN included sexual assault and the sending of unsolicited explicit messages or images.
Swalwell has denied criminal wrongdoing and disputed the allegations. He has acknowledged unspecified ‘mistakes in judgment’, according to Reuters. He has not been charged in connection with the investigation, as of the latest reporting reviewed.
The federal investigation has already involved a search of Swalwell’s Washington, DC, home in August and the seizure of electronic devices from him at San Francisco International Airport. The office of the Manhattan district attorney has also said it is investigating an allegation made by a former staff member. The allegations remain unproven.
What remains unknown?
- The full contents and legal grounds of the latest search warrant, which remain sealed.
- Whether agents seized any material from the Beverly Hills property and, if so, what it contains.
- Whether the investigations will result in criminal charges against anyone.
The execution of a search warrant is an investigative step, not a finding of guilt. Neither the search nor the reported investigative leads establish that Swalwell or Cloobeck committed a crime.
