Kimora Lee Simmons is once again making headlines — this time not for fashion or reality TV, but for a sprawling legal battle tied to one of the largest financial scandals in modern history.
According to The New York Post, the dispute centers on a $25 million Beverly Hills estate at 25 Beverly Park Circle. The seven-bedroom property, set on roughly 3.7 acres, was purchased in 2017 by Simmons’ estranged husband, former Goldman Sachs executive Tim Leissner.
In sworn testimony during a 2022 federal trial in Brooklyn, Leissner acknowledged that the home was bought with funds misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, better known as 1MDB — a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund that became the focus of a multibillion-dollar global fraud investigation.
“I bought the property… with $25 million that had been stolen from the Malaysian people,” Leissner testified under oath while serving as a cooperating witness in the prosecution of his former colleague, Roger Ng.
Leissner pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiracy and bribery charges connected to 1MDB and was later sentenced in May 2025 to two years in federal prison. Authorities have recovered more than $1.4 billion in assets linked to the scheme, though not all properties connected to the case were seized.
The Beverly Hills mansion remains a notable exception.
Court filings show that in November 2020, Leissner’s holding company sold the home to entities linked to billionaire real estate investors David and Simon Reuben after a refinancing arrangement reportedly faltered. As part of that deal, Leissner and Simmons were expected to pay approximately $67,000 per month in rent to remain in the property.
According to court documents cited in the ongoing civil dispute, no rent or mortgage payments have been made since that transaction. Simmons has challenged the validity of the sale, alleging it was conducted without her proper authorization. In filings, she claims her signature on certain documents was obtained through “misrepresentation and abuse of trust.”
The case — involving cross-claims between Simmons, Leissner, Keyway Pride LLC, and the property’s current ownership entities — has stretched into its fifth year. A trial-setting conference is scheduled for late February.
There is no allegation that Simmons participated in or had knowledge of the 1MDB fraud. The dispute instead centers on ownership rights, refinancing arrangements, and whether the property transfer was lawful.
The home itself has appeared on the exterior shots of Simmons’ E! reality series, Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane, where she quips in a promotional clip, “My name is Kimora, and I am a hoarder — but a luxury hoarder,” while showcasing a collection of nearly 700 designer handbags.