Stephen J. Cloobeck (born October 26, 1961) is an American businessman and the founder, former chairman and chief executive officer of the timeshare company Diamond Resorts.
In April 2007, Cloobeck acquired the publicly traded company Sunterra Corporation and converted it into Diamond Resorts International.[2][3] He is also the chairman of the board of the US Corporation for Travel Promotion.[4] Cloobeck stepped down as chairman and chief executive officer of Diamond Resorts International when the company was purchased by Apollo Global Management, LLC in June 2016.[5]
Charitable activity
Cloobeck supports charities and civic organizations including the Prostate Cancer Foundation,[6] FasterCures,[7] the Barack Obama Foundation,[8] the Brent Shapiro Foundation for Drug Prevention,[9] the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation,[10] the Los Angeles Dream Center,[11] and various educational initiatives. To assist Diamond Resorts employees dealing with unexpected life events, Cloobeck founded the Diamond Resorts International Team Member Crisis Fund (now the Diamond Resorts International Foundation) in 2012.[12]
Cloobeck was chairman of the board of the Nevada Cancer Institute.[13][14] In 2012, he endowed the Stephen J. Cloobeck '83 Endowed Fellowship at the Brandeis University International Business School.[2] He was a founder of the Brent Shapiro Foundation for Drug Awareness.[citation needed]
On October 2, 2017, it was reported that Cloobeck donated $400,000 to the Las Vegas shooting GoFundMe campaign setup by law enforcement for benefit of victims.[15][16][17]
Politics
In 2007, Cloobeck publicly considered running for governor of Nevada, but instead purchased Sunterra.[18]
In June 2011, he donated $100,000 to Majority PAC, a PAC oriented to promoting Democratic candidates to the U.S. Senate. The donation was sent as a check from "JHJM Nevada I, LLC," which made the source not readily evident.[19]
In December 2022, Cloobeck announced he had handed in his resignation to the Nevada athletic commission. He stated his reason for leaving the commission was due to not being able to work with Governor-elect Joe Lombardo.[20]
On Election Day, November 5, 2024, Cloobeck announced a run for governor of California.[21]
Media
Cloobeck has appeared on the US edition of Undercover Boss numerous times. Cloobeck first appeared in Season 3, Episode 1 (initially aired January 15, 2012), as well as Season 3 Episode 2 (aired January 22, 2012). Furthermore, Cloobeck was featured in Season 4, Episodes 16 and 17, which initially aired May 10, 2013 and May 17, 2013, respectively .[22][23]
On November 7, 2017, Cloobeck appeared on MSNBC and said he told Democratic leaders he would "cut your money off" if they criticize the wealthy, saying: "I've talked to [Senator Chuck] Schumer, I've talked to [Senator Ron] Wyden, I've talked to [Representative Nancy] Pelosi and I've said if you use the term billionaire again, I'm done."[24]
In February 2021, Cloobeck appeared on KTNV to discuss Harry Reid International Airport, explaining "he wants to set up a nonprofit to help fund the rebranding effort to change the airport's name to Harry Reid International Airport, and he says he is pledging the first $1 million out of his foundation to get the ball rolling."[25]
Personal life
In July 2020, Cloobeck began dating Canadian-based OnlyFans model Stefanie Gurzanski. They dated for five months. Their relationship ended after Cloobeck discovered that she was secretly taking nude photos in his houses and selling them on OnlyFans.[26] Cloobeck sued Gurzanski on January 7 in state court, in Los Angeles, for a variety of offenses, including fraud and trespassing. On January 12, Gurzanski asked the California state court for a temporary restraining order against Cloobeck. In an affidavit she filed, she stated that, "He started telling me that I was no longer allowed to publish pictures on Onlyfans.com...I told him that I was going to keep doing my work as it is a source of income."[27] On March 8, Cloobeck filed an amended complaint against Gurzanski,[28] alleging that she deceived him by claiming to be a "legitimate fashion model", and that Gurzanski secretly used his private jets and mansions as backdrops for her nude OnlyFans shoots—including while his teenage daughter was in the house. "Little did I know that while I was working in my various homes and my children were in the home and my employees, she was shooting porn in the bathrooms and putting it on OnlyFans", Cloobeck said.[29]
Cloobeck claims he's the "sole and exclusive" owner of the photos showing Gurzanski in skimpy bikinis and a revealing pink dress, which he says she published without his permission. Cloobeck is also seeking to be reimbursed for the more than $1.3 million worth of gifts and "experiences" he lavished on his ex — including more than 100 bikinis and pieces of lingerie that she "used as props in her ... OnlyFans posts", the suit claims.[26]
Cloobeck says he has offered to settle with Gurzanski if she returns the gifts he bought her so he can donate the proceeds to charity, take down any photos that show his property, and provide a public apology acknowledging she deceived him about her pornographic history. She claims she has offered to give back all of the gifts he bought her and the things she bought for herself with his credit card, but a Cloobeck spokesperson said Cloobeck has been the one offering to settle.[28]
On April 1, Arthur Barens, Gurzanski’s lawyer, filed a motion with the court seeking sanctions against Cloobeck, in excess of $100,000, for violating the temporary restraining order. Cloobeck’s lawyer Robert Allen said Cloobeck was only communicating with Gurzanski to urge her to agree to a settlement of his lawsuit. Cloobeck's legal team has moved for the restraining order to be quashed, claiming the court didn't have jurisdiction over him at the time because he was in Mexico.[28]
