Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Victor Boyko/Police Handout
Topics: Celebrity, Kanye West, Crime
Emma Rosemurgey
Topics: Celebrity, Kanye West, Crime
The investor who recently bought Kanye West's Malibu beachfront mansion previously went to prison for a violent crime.
Steven 'Bo' Belmont, who runs Belwood Investments, purchased the controversial property for $21 million; just a fraction of staggering $53 million price it was listed for in December 2023.
Since purchasing the mansion, which was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, Belmont has called out the music mogul for the 'dumb' changes he made to the property, including removing windows, doors and sources of electricity.
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But while, Belmont has made headlines for buying the unusual house, he previously made the news for some less than savory reasons.
In 2013, he was charged with attempted murder and spent three years in prison, after attacking a man with a pitchfork during an argument about a noise complaint.
Belmont had been on vacation in Napa County with his family when Roy Powell, a neighbor of the rented holiday home, came and asked him to keep the noise down so his daughters could sleep.
A row ensued as both men had been drinking, however things quickly turned violent when Belmont struck Powell over the head with a pitchfork, resulting in a fractured jaw and a blood clot on the brain.
Powell was placed in a medically induced coma while he recovered and it has been remarked as a miracle he was able to survive the attack.
Following a trial in 2015, Belmont was acquitted from attempted murder but found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and spent three years in prison.
He has been open about his time behind bars and how he's manage to re-build his success after prison.
Now, however, the investor is focusing on restoring the Malibu property to what it was before West purchased it in 2021 for an eye-watering $57 million.
"My goal is to make it as though Kanye was never there. The house will be restored right back to what it was," he told the LA Times.
While Belmont is less than impressed with the changes the rapper made to the home, his biggest frustration is the fact he removed the glazed floors, adding: "That was a really dumb move. Really no purpose."
He plans to spend between $6 million and $8 million on the property in a bid to turn a profit for the people who invested in its purchase, explaining that around 500 people invested sums between $1,000 and $1 million.