Shocking Scandal Unveils Dark Secrets Among America’s Elite

A real estate empire, often referred to as the ‘Amazon of real estate,’ is currently under scrutiny as it faces allegations of severe sexual misconduct involving two senior agents.

eXp Realty rose to prominence in the 2010s as one of the globe’s most rapidly expanding real estate brokerages, drawing in agents with the allure of generous commissions and a luxurious, aspirational lifestyle.

However, a surge of legal actions suggests that beneath its glossy marketing and opulent events lies a ‘boys’ club’ atmosphere, where powerful male brokers are accused of exploiting less experienced female agents.

Numerous women have filed civil lawsuits, alleging they were drugged and assaulted at alcohol-fueled corporate gatherings, drawing parallels to the notorious Alexander brothers case, who were convicted of federal sex trafficking in a March 9 New York court decision.

The plaintiffs from eXp describe a distressing pattern: experiencing unexpected intoxication after consuming minimal alcohol, losing consciousness, and later discovering they had been involved in sexual activities with high-ranking staff members.

Two names appear repeatedly in the lawsuits: Michael Bjorkman and David Golden, both once among the company’s most successful recruiters. Bjorkman left eXp in 2020 after allegations against him arose publicly, and Golden quietly left in 2023 as the allegations grew.

The men allegedly target women at company-branded events held regularly at luxury hotels and casinos, where a culture of partying and heavy drinking was fostered.

They then engineered situations in which female agents were isolated in hotel rooms with them, then drugged and attacked them, according to the lawsuits.

Anya Roberts, a former real estate agent at eXp, alleged that she was repeatedly drugged and sexually assaulted at work events

Her story shares striking similarities to Christy Lundy, who is also suing the company over claims of sexual assault 

eXp Realty was founded in Washington state in 2009 and built on the idea of no physical offices. The firm operates entirely in the cloud using remote agents.

With no office leases and fewer in-person staff, the model is said to cut overhead costs, allowing higher commission splits and lucrative incentives for its agents.

The company has been described as the ‘Amazon of real estate’ – a tech-forward, asset-light disruptor built to scale fast.

That approach helped fuel explosive growth – it currently has 83,000 agents in 27 countries – but the strategy involves a controversial recruitment structure.

Agents at eXp are encouraged not only to sell homes but to recruit others into the platform, taking a share of their commissions. Those recruits then bring in more agents beneath them, creating a layered revenue stream tied as much to headcount as to home sales.

Critics say the structure creates powerful incentives to protect top earners with little incentive to root out high performers even when serious allegations are raised.

Lawsuits allege that was the case for Michael Bjorkman and David Golden. 

Fabiola Acevedo, a Florida-based real estate agent recruited by Golden, claimed in a February 2023 suit that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Bjorkman.

She alleged that in 2018, Bjorkman convinced her to join him at a networking event at the Pelican Hill Hotel in Newport Beach, California, telling her it would help her career.

When she arrived at the event, a hotel staffer told her she did not have a room reserved in her name and that they were sold out, the suit claimed. 

The lead plaintiff is Fabiola Acevedo, a Florida-based real estate agent who filed a suit in February 2023, alleging that she was drugged and sexually assaulted at a recruiting event

Another former agent, Kirsten Childress claimed she was drugged and raped at a work event 

She called Golden, her recruiter and mentor, who told her to stay in Bjorkman’s room and that she could trust him, that they were ‘family,’ the suit claimed. 

Acevedo said she reluctantly agreed because the room had two beds.

Later that evening, she alleged she drank a single cocktail with Bjorkman at the hotel bar and remembers nothing until the next morning when she awoke naked. Another woman and Bjorkman were in the other bed naked, said the suit.

‘Disoriented and in shock,’ Acevedo claimed she ran to shower but was followed by Bjorkman, who exposed his penis to her.

Acevedo claimed she told Glenn Sanford, eXp’s CEO, about the 2018 incident years later at a conference in March 2022 and told her she had been traumatized and unable to give her all to work. 

She also reported the incident multiple times to other leaders at the company, but  those reports went nowhere, the suit alleged. 

Neither Sanford nor eXp returned a Daily Mail request for comment. Bjorkman told the Daily Mail he is ‘100 percent innocent.’

Sanford said during shareholder calls in 2023 that the company handled any complaints appropriately and that the allegations do not reflect company policy or leadership intent.

Tami Sims and Christiana ‘Christy’ Lundy, real estate agents in Tennessee and California, both later joined Acevedo’s lawsuit, alleging they were also drugged and sexually assaulted by Bjorkman and Golden.

Lundy alleged in her filing that after an eXp event in 2020 in Las Vegas, Bjorkman and Golden invited her for a drink in their suite, where she alleges she drank one cup of vodka and soda water.

Michael Bjorkman and David Golden (both left) are accused of drugging and raping women. They are pictured with a third man who is not accused of wrongdoing

eXp agents attended company-branded events held regularly at luxury hotels and casinos, where a culture of partying and heavy drinking was fostered

‘This was the only alcoholic beverage she drank over the course of the entire evening, and she did not finish the entire drink,’ said the lawsuit.

Later that night, during dinner with friends, she ‘excused herself from the table to go to the bathroom and vomit,’ which she said was out of character. 

She has no memory of leaving the dinner and ‘woke up the next morning with a headache, feeling very groggy and was nude in her own bed in her hotel room.’

After learning of other women’s stories, she believed either Bjorkman or Golden had been in her room. She said she was ignored when she reported it to her employer.

According to the lawsuit, Sims attended an eXp networking event hosted by The Closing Table at a hotel in Beverly Hills, where she had a single glass of wine. After dinner, she said she went to the hotel bar and had one more drink.

Later that evening, one of the event hosts invited everyone to his room, where Bjorkman handed her a third drink, according to her complaint.

Shortly thereafter, she alleges, she ‘blacked out until the next morning when she woke up naked and alone in her hotel room.’

‘She immediately went to the bathroom. She felt sick, saw blood from her vagina and experienced pain.’ She believes she was sexually assaulted.

A fourth woman, Megan Farrell-Nelson, said in the joint lawsuit that she was sexually assaulted by Bjorkman in Las Vegas in 2020.

She also claimed in her complaint that she saw Bjorkman and Golden consume the ‘date rape’ drug GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) from a bottle.

‘They both told her that they take GHB recreationally,’ said the suit.

The cloud-based brokerage, eXp Realty, was founded by Forbes-ranked billionaire CEO Glenn Sanford in 2009

GHB is a central nervous system depressant that slows brain activity and can produce sedation, relaxation and, at higher doses, unconsciousness.

In December 2023, ten months after the first lawsuit, a second was filed in California.

Anya Roberts, another former real estate agent at eXp, alleged that she was repeatedly drugged and sexually assaulted by Golden at work events.

Roberts claimed that in February 2020, she flew to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to attend an eXp networking event and blacked out after one drink in Golden’s room.

She alleged she woke to Golden standing over her, massaging his penis over his pants, according to her complaint. 

The following month, Roberts claims that Golden invited her to the Hard Rock Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, where they shared a room.

Roberts claims Bjorkman also showed up to Golden’s room with his luggage in hand and told her that he would also be staying in their room, which she initially thought was a joke.

The next day, Roberts claimed Golden received a delivery of GHB to the room, telling her it was a performance-enhancing drug for workouts.

He then told Roberts that a small amount for exercise would be fine and Roberts took the dosage recommended by him, said the suit.

According to the complaint, Roberts ‘did not understand that taking this drug would cause her not only to lose her memory, but also to become incapacitated such that she would lose the ability to consent as to what happened with her body.’

The morning after blacking out, Bjorkman allegedly walked into the bathroom naked while she was showering and exposed himself to her.

When she appeared shocked, she said he replied: ‘Oh, now you are shy?’ implying that they had sex night before.

Roberts ‘believes she was sexually assaulted by Golden and Bjorkman the previous night while she was incapacitated,’ according to the complaint.

She also alleges the duo took pictures and/or videos of her that night while she was incapacitated, which lawyers said were turned over in discovery.

Golden was among eXp’s most successful recruiters and the women claim there was no incentive to discipline him due to the way recruitment is structured

Bjorkman and Golden are alleged to have used a date rape drug at the events

Bjorkman, who is married, was arrested in Miami in 2021 in connection with Farrell-Nelson’s case, though charges were dismissed after the district attorney said that they ‘cannot prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.’ 

Lawyers for Golden did not respond. He has previously denied all wrongdoing.

In May 2025, another former agent, Kirsten Childress, claims in a complaint she filed that she was drugged and assaulted at a company-related event in 2023 by a photographer hired by eXp to cover the event.

Childress said she drank one cocktail and blacked out, waking in a strange hotel room confused and with fresh bruises, according to her complaint.

A photographer who has denied wrongdoing was allegedly on top of her and assaulting her. 

In total, six women have sued eXp for sexual assault and negligence – despite motions to dismiss, a judge ruled the complaints will move forward.

Sanford, who Forbes estimates is worth $1 billion, is accused of ignoring or enabling misconduct.

eXp Realty has consistently denied wrongdoing and has pushed back against claims that it enabled misconduct. It has not yet returned a Daily Mail request for comment.

Still, legal challenges continue to mount.

Two eXp shareholder pension funds filed lawsuits in Delaware, where the company is incorporated, alleging the company failed to disclose risks related to the misconduct claims, potentially misleading investors.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the company was planning to reincorporate in Texas, a state where the law is seen as more favorable to corporate leadership and not shareholders. 

As of now, that plan is moving ahead.