Tarek El Moussa says he got conned out of $20,000 from a Southern California realtor, and he wants his money back.
In a lawsuit filed against Shahen Martirosian, which was obtained by The Blast, the "Flip or Flop" star says he found a listing for the "short sale" of a home in February 2015. He liked the home and intended to flip (or flop) it.
Tarek says Shahen encouraged the sale, but told him he needed to put a $20,000 deposit into escrow for the deal to be approved by the bank. Tarek reluctantly agreed.
After Tarek forked over the money, he says the realtor converted the funds to personal use and started ducking Tarek's phone calls. In the end, Tarek didn't purchase the home.
He is suing for $20,000, plus interest, and he's seeking punitive damages.
At least Tarek can think about this alleged bad business deal in style. Last week, he reportedly plunked down nearly $2.3 million for a bachelor pad in Costa Mesa, California.
The Blast broke the real estate news on March 13, reporting that the reality TV star purchased a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom, 3,010-square-foot home for $2.28 million. He closed on the home just a few weeks after finalizing his divorce from his "Flip or Flop" co-star, Christina El Moussa.
Although Tarek and Christina split in 2016, their divorce wasn't finalized until January 2018.
On Jan. 22, Christina alluded to the divorce while posting an inspirational quote on Instagram: "I want to thank my family, friends, and supporters for all the love and kind words the past few years," she wrote. "Officially ready for the next chapter ✅ Life's too short to tolerate negativity … #choosehappiness."
Tarek also took to Instagram to hint at the breakup in the caption of a photo of Dwayne Johnson. The picture said, "Distance yourself from the people who 1. Lie to you. 2. Disrespect you. 3. Use you. 4. Put you down." He captioned it, "I saw this on my feed and thought, 'Wow, what a true statement.'"
As part of the divorce, the duo agreed to not make disparaging or derogatory remarks about each other while around their two children. Christina kept their marital home in Yorba Linda, California, while Tarek kept his yacht.