Billionaire heiress and TV star husband swindled close friend out of $2M in sneaky real estate scam: suit

A former reality TV star and his billionaire heiress wife allegedly scammed a close friend after begging him for a $2 million loan and then reneging on a repayment agreement, a new lawsuit claims.

Brendan Fitzpatrick, 37 — a former “Rich Kids of Beverly Hills” star who has also been accused of orchestrating a wide-ranging Ponzi scheme — made “desperate pleas” to his wealthy pal Max Jan Fowles-Pazdro to fund a deposit for a real estate project in the United Kingdom, according to the suit.

After securing the cash, Fitzpatrick pledged to begin repaying the loan within six weeks, but failed to fork over a dime in the two years since, the lawsuit adds.

Instead, Brendan and his wife Chloe, the daughter of a Canadian billionaire, continued “to live — and present themselves to others as living — in the lap of luxury,” according to the suit.

Court records highlighted a social media post showing the pair cuddling on a yacht cruising on the Mediterranean.

Fowles-Pazdro claims the Fitzpatricks promised him and his wife, Parisa, on a variety of occasions that the money would be repaid — even saying they would reach into the pockets of Chloe’s billionaire mother, Sophie, the daughter of former Power Corporation of Canada chairman Paul Desmarais.

“We will absolutely have this resolved tomorrow,” a communication from the Fitzpatricks to the couple read, according to the suit. “[I]f not I will be borrowing from my mother in law …. We get funds by 2 or I will get them from her. I will say it’s life or death.”

“We are good hang on,” another note said, according to the suit. “We’ve waited this long. We can hang tight for a little more hours.”

Yet another repayment promise saw the Fitzpatricks call the Fowles-Pazdros “family,” assuring the money would be paid back soon, the complaint says.

The Fitzpatricks even allegedly resorted to claiming they would pay them back $4 million, double what they loaned them. That money never materialized, according to the suit.

Fowles-Pazdro and his lawyers claim the Fitzpatricks were friends from Los Angeles and later bonded with them in Miami in 2024. In the summer of that year, the Fitzpatricks took the Fowles-Pazdros to the south of France to spend time with them in a rental property.

By September, the Fitzpatricks also took the couple to Chloe’s billionaire mother’s home in Montreal, according to the suit.

Only months later, in January 2025, Brendan allegedly claimed he needed 1.3 million euros for the real estate project in the UK.

The Fowles-Pazdros provided the money and even additionally guaranteed a £10.5 million loan, according to the suit.

The complaint further alleges that the lack of repayment has left the Fowles-Pazdros with several notices of default on properties, a loss of a critical credit line, and has forced the couple to sell a property early to cover their debts.

The plaintiff is seeking damages, including all attorneys’ fees and the loan plus interest.

Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick is dealing with litigation over his alleged Ponzi scheme, accusing his Sri Lanka-based mining venture of being a front that advertised returns of 120% on investments while not actually existing.

The company, Carbonatik, allegedly duped victims, including a former acquaintance and various entrepreneurs, out of more than $80 million.

The California Post reached out to Brendan Fitzpatrick for comment.

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