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The wealthiest real estate developer in America has publicly severed ties with his son through a terse statement as the 33-year-old faces accusations of swindling investors out of millions.
Donald Bren, the reclusive 92-year-old leader of California’s dominant property dynasty, issued a striking twelve-word comment via a representative when queried about his troubled son, David, the visionary behind a private members’ venue called The Bunker.
‘We do not have a personal or business relationship with this individual,’ Bren said of his own offspring.
This statement signifies the ultimate corporate disconnection from a family member, one who allegedly leveraged the Bren name to lure investors into what lawsuits now describe as a ‘mirage’ – a $90 million luxury members’ club that was never realized.
David Bren is accused of drumming up funds to bankroll an elaborate fantasy – a supercar-laden, cigar-swirling, billionaire boys’ club in the heart of Beverly Hills.
He pitched The Bunker as a ‘Soho House for car lovers.’
On paper, it promised $14,500-a-month memberships and access to a $50 million fleet of supercars including Bugattis, Ferraris, Porsches, alongside lavish dining, exclusive wine and private smoking lounges.
Investor decks name-dropped titans like Mark Cuban, Larry Ellison, NBA star Kristaps Porziņģis, and fashion heir August Getty as supposed founding members.
Billionaire Donald Bren, 92, has publicly disowned his own son with a frosty statement as the 33-year-old heir stands accused of fleecing investors out of millions
David Bren, 33, is accused of drumming up funds to bankroll an elaborate fantasy – a supercar-laden, cigar-swirling, billionaire boys’ club in the heart of Beverly Hills
The Bunker’s Beverly Hills home was to be at Mr C’s Beverly Hills Hotel, pictured above. The hotel is now called Cameo and is owned by Hilton
The entire project was all anchored under the prestige of the Bren surname.
But lawsuits say The Bunker was nothing more than smoke, mirrors, and well-dressed PowerPoint slides.
‘The Bunker does not exist. There is no ultra-high end automotive club. There are no members. The business is a mirage,’ one lawsuit bluntly alleges.
One of the richest men in America, with a net worth north of $19 billion, Donald is known for his obsession with control, minimalism, and precision.
He reportedly insists on ten-point Arial font in all documents and refuses to share elevators at his Irvine, California, headquarters.
But when it came to his estranged son’s financial implosion Donald Bren opted for a colder response.
To investors, many of whom say they were lured in by David’s last name, the billionaire’s detachment feels like both betrayal and vindication.
‘He presented like he could have picked up the phone and called his father right away,’ said Chris Rising, an associate of the Bren family whose LA realty firm was roped into David’s attempts to buy Mr. C’s Beverly Hills Hotel.
Many investors say they were lured in by David Bren’s last name. Bren is seen here pictured in a promotion video for The Bunker
lawsuits say The Bunker was nothing more than smoke, mirrors, and well-dressed PowerPoint slides
The brutality of father Donald Bren’s dismissal is almost as jaw-dropping as the alleged scheme itself. Bren is pictured at his company headquarters in 2010
To other potential investors, David painted Donald as a deadbeat.
‘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,’ said Mike Tran, a close friend of one investor to the Los Angeles Times.
More than a dozen investors say they poured six and seven-figure sums into The Bunker after being dazzled by David Bren’s swagger which included showing up to property tours in a purple Lamborghini and hosting luxury events he claimed were co-sponsored by Louis Vuitton.
Nanxi Liu, a tech entrepreneur, gave him $100,000.
‘He really pressed me on it. He said you have to invest in this. Put in half a million … do it for me. I’m involved in this business. I’m advising them … it’s going to be so awesome. It’s the SoHo House for car lovers,’ she recalled her mentor Tony Chen saying.
Chen, who had championed Bren had pumped hundreds of thousands into the venture but soon spiraled into guilt, depression, and ultimately, suicide.
He was found dead in a garage in San José in September 2022. He had hanged himself at the age of 46.
More than a dozen investors say they poured six- and seven-figure sums into The Bunker after being dazzled by David Bren’s swagger
The Bunnker was supposed be an exclusive private members club – a kind of SoHo House for car lovers
On paper, The Bunker promised $14,500-a-month memberships and access to a $50 million fleet of supercars including Bugattis, Ferraris, Porsches, alongside lavish dining, exclusive wine, and private smoking lounges
One of the richest men in America, Donald Bren has a net worth north of $19 billion
Donald Bren lives in Newport Beach, California, pictured. His real estate development firm is headquartered there, where he is the chairman and owner
Tran, who housed Chen in his final weeks, believes Bren preyed on Chen’s trust.
‘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,’ said Tran.
Bren’s victims are left wondering how someone so connected could vanish with so much – and face no criminal charges.
At least four separate lawsuits accuse David Bren of fraud, defaulting on leases, forging luxury lifestyle appearances, and breaking into a Beverly Hills home to live rent-free.
Judgments against him total roughly $2.6 million – and growing.
In one case, two Middle Eastern investors say they handed over $1 million for a Bunker location in Dubai.
When they asked for a refund, Bren gave them a $500,000 check which bounced.
In another, a plaintiff says he earned a 25% return on a $100,000 seed investment – only to be lured into giving another $150,000. He never saw the money again.
Bren never showed up to court, nor retained attorneys in the Bunker cases, and has faced no criminal charges despite referrals to the LAPD and FBI.
‘There’s nothing happening. The Bunker isn’t becoming anything,’ said Joshua Ritter, an attorney representing multiple defrauded investors. ‘There’s no locations opening. It’s all just talk.’
David Bren’s relationship with his billionaire father has always been fraught.
In 2003, when David was just 11, his mother Jennifer McKay Gold sued Donald Bren for retroactive child support.
The case dragged out for years, exposing embarrassing details about the reclusive tycoon’s private life.
Although a jury ruled in Donald’s favor in 2010, the damage to the family dynamic appears to have been irreversible.
Donald reportedly paid nearly $9 million in child support and education for David and his sister Christie, but withheld deeper involvement.
Bren’s emotional detachment is now legend. Bloomberg once described him as ‘scrupulous, though not much of a people person.’
Donald Bren, a former marine, allegedly refuses to share an elevator with anyone at his office. He is pictured here in 2005 at the age of 72
The Irving Co. headquarters which Bren and other investors bought for $337 million in 1977
He reportedly drives alone around Irvine in a dark SUV taking notes on landscaping he wants changed. Security clears hallways before he enters. Elevators are reserved for him alone. Even Irvine’s former mayor said she never met him.
Son, David Bren, was last known to be living in a Bel-Air mansion, and recent social media posts suggest he’s relocated to Miami.
While lawsuits stack up no criminal charges have been filed and no formal investigation is publicly known to be underway.
Nanxi Liu, whose lawsuit resulted in a default judgment after she received just $10,000 back, remains dumbfounded.
‘Here in the US we have what I feel is one of the strongest legal systems, and yet, this person is still able to do everything that he’s doing.’
