Richest US real estate baron disowns son in icy 12-word statement

The nation’s wealthiest real estate tycoon has disowned his son following accusations that the latter swindled investors out of more than $2 million with a fake business he pitched as the “ultimate man cave” for the ultra-rich.

David Bren, 33, allegedly promised “The Bunker” would deliver special access to a suite of luxury vehicles including Ferraris, Bugattis and Porsches, as well as curated dining experiences and high-end wines and cigars, according to investor decks obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

A slew of lawsuits have accused Bren of completely fabricating the business pitch, known as “the Soho House for car lovers.” Most backers alleged they lost at least six-figure sums in the supposed scam between 2020 and 2022.

One investor fled California in shame,while another – who allegedly invested far more than $100,000 – was found dead in his garage hanging from a noose, according to the LA Times.

Donald Bren, 93 – who has a $19 billion net worth and about 129 million square feet of real estate, mostly in Southern California – isn’t coming to his son’s rescue.

“We do not have a personal or business relationship with this individual,” Paul Hernandez, spokesperson for Donald Bren and Irvine Company, told The Post in a cold statement.

Founding “Bunker” members – including “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban, fashion designer and oil heir August Getty, Oracle’s Larry Ellison and NBA champion Kristaps Porzingis – would cough up a $14,500 monthly fee for club perks, according to a pitch cited in a lawsuit viewed by the news outlet.

David planned to store a fleet of supercars in Beverly Hills – just as soon as the project’s owners completed a $90 million purchase of Mr. C’s Beverly Hills Hotel, according to an executive summary obtained by the LA Times.

But it was all a “charade designed to lure investors…to fund his own extravagant lifestyle,” according to a lawsuit viewed by the outlet.

“The Bunker does not exist. There is no ultra-high end automotive club. There are no members. The business is a mirage,” another lawsuit alleged.

David Bren did not immediately respond to attempts to contact him via phone and email. 

Allegations that Donald Bren was an absent father arose during a trial in 2003, when his ex-girlfriend, Jennifer McKay Gold, and their two children – including David, then 11 – sued him for millions in retroactive child support.

He had already paid them roughly $9 million in support, his lawyer told the LA Times. A jury ultimately ruled in his favor.

But years later, some duped investors claimed David acted like the wealthy real estate baron was just a phone call away.

“He presented like he could have picked up the phone and called his father right away,” Chris Rising, an associate of the Bren family who was roped into David’s attempts to buy Mr. C’s Hotel, told the LA Times.

Other investors said he used his strained relationship with his father to garner sympathy. 

“He was slick. He played this, like, victim; that’s how he pulled people’s heartstrings. ‘My Dad didn’t give me nothing; I could do this, but no one believes in me,’” Mike Tran, a close friend of one investor, told the news outlet.

Nanxi Lu, a tech entrepreneur, invested $100,000 toward The Bunker in 2021 after David swore he already had a contract in place to buy the Beverly Hills hotel – though she said she was skeptical.

David brought her to a ritzy West Hollywood event that he said The Bunker was “co-sponsoring” with Louis Vuitton. But Liu didn’t see any branding related to the “man cave” club at the event, she told the LA Times.

But she invested in the company on the advice of her mentor, Tony Chen, a Bay Area entrepreneur who became obsessed with the project, especially its alleged ties to the Irvine Co., according to the report.

“He really pressed me on it. He said you have to invest in this. Put in half a million…It’s the SoHo House for car lovers,” Chen apparently told Liu, using David’s pitch language, the report claimed.

But just a few months later, Chen showed up at Liu’s home in “massive, massive crisis,” she told the outlet.

Chen reached out to Joshua Ritter, a private attorney who has represented about eight people who invested in The Bunker – including one who put in “just shy” of $1 million, Ritter told the LA Times.

As cracks started to show in David’s business pitch, some investors tried to pull their money.

Two investors, Elham Alsulaiman and Zainal Alireza, reportedly offered Bren $1 million in seed money for The Bunker, according to court records.

Bren later said he was “extremely apologetic” and wrote the pair a check for half-a-million dollars, but “it bounced,” according to the lawsuit viewed by the Times.

When Liu tried to pull her money out, Bren only paid back $10,000 and offered her a complimentary membership to The Bunker upon its opening, according to emails obtained by the outlet.

Meanwhile, Chen had made little headway in getting his money back by the fall of 2022, Ritter told the LA Times.

He had signed check after check for Bren ahead of his breakdown at Liu’s, according to the outlet. He later separated from his wife and started living at his friend Tran’s house.

“Tony built out this thing for this guy like, ‘Oh man, he’s this underdog. He’s this David. And if he gets this right, he’s going to become Goliath,’” Tran told the Times.

In September 2022, Tran said he found Chen in his garage hanging from a noose. He was 46 and is survived by his ex-wife and daughter.

His death was ruled a suicide, according to the Santa Clara County medical examiner’s office.