Federal law enforcement agents searched a Beverly Hills home early Tuesday as part of an investigation into former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned from Congress amid a wave of sexual misconduct allegations. Two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press about the search. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing an ongoing investigation.
The home belongs to wealthy developer and Swalwell donor Stephen Cloobeck, according to the sources. Swalwell spent time at the residence before he resigned from office in April. Swalwell, a California Democrat, has denied criminal wrongdoing. Messages seeking comment were left for Swalwell's lawyer and for a lawyer who represented Cloobeck in another matter.
FBI spokesperson Lourdes Arocho confirmed an operation took place without naming the location. "Early this morning the FBI conducted an operation in the Los Angeles region related to an ongoing criminal investigation," she said. "We have no further comment."
Cloobeck founded the timeshare company Diamond Resorts International and ran last year for California governor. Federal campaign finance records show he gave more than $23,000 to Swalwell's congressional campaigns since 2017. In April, he told the New York Post he had cut ties with Swalwell as accusations mounted. "I am no longer associated with a man that takes advantage of women," he said. In May, Cloobeck was charged with witness intimidation in an unrelated case and has pleaded not guilty. In August, the prediction market platform Kalshi temporarily banned him after saying he bought $10,000 worth of contracts on his short-lived gubernatorial candidacy.
The search is the latest escalation in the federal inquiry, one of several probes that began after a woman alleged that Swalwell sexually assaulted her twice, including while she worked for him. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the allegations, followed by CNN. CNN also reported that three other women alleged various forms of sexual misconduct, including unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos. Around the same time, another woman alleged Swalwell raped her at a Southern California hotel in 2018. She said she had one glass of wine and believes she was drugged, and that she planned to report it to law enforcement.
In August, federal agents seized electronic devices from Swalwell at the San Francisco airport and searched his Washington home. The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has said it is also investigating, after a former staffer told CNN and the Chronicle that Swalwell raped her at a hotel during a 2024 charity gala trip to New York City. Bragg's office encouraged "survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division." Los Angeles prosecutors were also said to be weighing charges.
Swalwell, an Iowa native, was first elected in 2012 and represented a House district east of San Francisco. He launched a presidential bid in April 2019 but ended it a few months later after failing to catch on with voters. The seven-term lawmaker had been seen as a leading candidate in California's governor race before he dropped out once the allegations surfaced.
He was one of President Donald Trump's top Democratic antagonists in Congress, serving on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees during Trump's first term. He was also one of several Democratic prosecutors in Trump's second impeachment after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
In 2023, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed Swalwell from the Intelligence Committee over his contact with Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese spy. Fang was reported to have encountered his campaign during his first run for Congress in 2012 and to have helped with fundraising for his 2014 race. Federal investigators briefed Congress about Fang in 2015, and Swalwell says he cut off contact then. He was not accused of wrongdoing, and a House Ethics Committee investigation opened in 2021 closed two years later without action.
