Mauricio Umansky’s most recent performance on Dancing with the Stars was questionably shady. This is fitting, as Mauricio’s antics on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills have also raised eyebrows over the years. Currently estranged from his wife, Kyle Richards, speculations on Mo’s wandering eyes have often been tossed about. In addition, he and Kyle were also once accused of stealing Kim Richards‘ house, alongside using Kathy Hilton’s husband’s connections to help grow Mauricio’s real estate firm, The Agency.
As for his estranged marriage, Mauricio’s separation from Kyle now feels like more than just a contrived storyline for RHOBH Season 13. You see, Mauricio dedicated a scandalous dance to Kyle this week on DWTS. This dance saw him becoming very touchy-feely with his new rumored beau and dance coach, Emma Slater. Weird nod of love to Kyle, Mo, but you do you.
In other messy news, Mauricio is still fighting off lawsuits stemming from a Malibu estate that he sold back in 2015. Mauricio’s lawsuit is sticky. It all centers around a mansion, a playboy prince, and a rumored-to-be-corrupt real estate deal. As for what exactly is going on in Mauricio Umansky’s Malibu mansion lawsuit, here’s a quick explainer, which will highlight everything that’s been stated on Mauricio’s role in this mansion’s sale-gone-shady.
The Mansion in Question
Perched high above the Malibu Pier lies a sprawling home that is causing a ton of drama. With an address of 3620 Sweetwater Mesa Road, this property has an estimated value of just over $88 million, according to Zillow. We know, we know, you can’t trust Zillow’s “Zestimates,” but keep in mind this high amount for farther down.
This price tag would see its buyer acquiring a 16-acre property, which is occupied by a 14,995-square-foot home. Built in 1991, this horseshoe-shaped mansion includes 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, alongside a three-hole golf course, multiple guest houses, a guard house, a tennis court and a swimming pool.
Prior to this mansion’s brushes with the law, this estate was owned by Karen Rabe. If unfamiliar, Karen’s family owns the production company that broadcasts Wheel of Fortune. Aka, Karen’s rich rich, honey.
The Player and His Predicament
In 2006, Karen sold her home for $30 million to an African “prince” named Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue. Teodoro’s father is the president of Equatorial Guinea, a republic of West Africa. With wealth and power at his side, this sale should have been clean, but as we all know, nothing is truly ever as it seems. It was reported by the Los Angeles Times that Teodoro purchased this estate under Sweetwater Malibu, his limited liability company.
Unfortunately, Teodoro, had purchased this estate (and more) by stealing the proceeds from oil and natural gas sales in his country. A politician who steals from his people…why is no one original in their sins anymore? In a settlement agreement, Teodoro sold this mansion in 2016, with $10.3 million of the proceeds given back to U.S. officials, and the rest divided into various charities that benefited the people back in Equatorial Guinea. Both Teodoro and the U.S. Government selected Mauricio as the seller.
Pretty quickly, Mauricio received five offers. Sweetwater Malibu chose Mauricio Oberfeld’s offer of $33.5 million, though Oberfield ended up receiving a $1 million cut due to repairs.
The Lawsuits
This story isn’t over. You see, a man named Sam Hakim had also placed an offer on Teodoro’s estate. Verbally (dumb, get things in writing), Sam claimed that he’d be willing to pay up to $40 million. According to the Malibu Times, after Oberfeld won the bid over him, Sam sent him a letter, stating his intent to pay Oberfeld $8 million to buy out his secured spot for this house.
It failed. Sam walked away. However, when Sam saw that Mauricio and Oberfeld had worked together to flip this estate for $69.9 million in 2017, he realized that Mauricio had (allegedly) steered this sale for his own future gains. Adding to this, Sam concluded that Mauricio had also likely never relayed his verbal offer of a higher amount to Teodoro.
Teodoro realized this as well. He sued Mauricio for the lost funds that he would have made had his mansion been sold to Sam. In turn, Sam and his real agent, Aitan Segal, also initiated a lawsuit against Mauricio. Sam’s part is focused on the lost house and its potential flip profit, while Alan’s focuses on his lost commission for this sale, as his client with a higher bid price should have won this mansion.
Where It All Currently Stands
Despite these lawsuits, The Agency is thriving. As for where these lawsuits currently stand, let’s start with Teodoro’s. According to The Blast, at the end of 2019, a mediation before a private judge resulted in a “settlement that would resolve the case.” One down, check.
Unfortunately for all involved, Sam and Aitan’s lawsuit remains ongoing. As with all things legal, things are getting messy. Both sides have recently been accused of playing games. For whatever reason, they’re equally refusing to release their 2016 – 2017 text messages that were focused on this deal.
According to Radar, it’s game over time. The judge presiding over this case is sick of their antics. “Given the fact that each party has now made representations to the court that the court has found to be misleading and potentially deliberately so, the parties might want to think a long time before bringing more discovery motions,” he stated.
Only time will tell how this all unfolds. Though on his part, Mauricio stands firm in his denials that anything wrong has transpired. Naturally.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON MAURICIO UMANSKY’S MALIBU MANSION LAWSUIT?
