New York Post: The shocking tale of party boy turned politician Fabian Basabe

 

Suddenly known as "Miami's George Santos," socialite turned politician Fabian Basabe has become radioactive in his hometown amidst sexual assault allegations and voter frustrations.

By Jacquelynn Powers Maurice for the NEW YORK POST - Published July 29, 2023

Rep. Fabian Basabe used to be called the male Paris Hilton. Now, he’s being called Miami’s George Santos.

The socialite turned politician’s misbehavior has made him radioactive in his hometown — where his district covers the wealthy coastal strip between Miami Beach and Aventura — since narrowly being elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2022.

Sources in Tallahassee told The Post that Basabe is a “leper” in the state capital and that his Republican co-workers “walk on the other side of the street when they see him coming.”

“He’s a social climber, opportunist and a hustler,” one insider said.

Now, Basabe, 45, is facing sexual harassment allegations from two former male staffers, an intern and legislative aide, who have filed a complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a civil lawsuit in Leon County Circuit Court. The Florida House is also conducting its own investigation.

Even the Miami Herald has weighed in, with an editorial calling for Basabe to resign due to “a pattern of unacceptable behavior.”

Bon vivant Basabe, who is worth $4.3 million according to filings, has always been controversial and flamboyant, hailing back to his socialite days in Manhattan’s 2000s party scene. A dilettante who once worked at Morgan Stanley for six months before quitting because it was “boring,” mingled with the likes of Hilton, Kourtney Kardashian and Nicole Richie — and infamously dirty danced with first daughter Barbara Bush at a 2004 Fashion Week party.

Appearances on reality TV shows like “Young, Rich and Famous” (2003) and “Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive” (2005) — co-starring Kourtney Kardashian and about spoiled children of privilege getting their hands dirty on a ranch — cemented Basabe’s It boy status.

In 2005, the Washington Post described him as the male Paris Hilton.

Basabe was bankrolled by his Ecuadorian restaurateur father and American mother, allowing him to be a regular at hotspots like Bungalow 8 without working.

In 2005, he replenished his coffers by marrying his college girlfriend, La Perla lingerie heiress Martina Borgomanero. Both attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, although Basabe was “dismissed” before graduating for submitting a paper he’d purchased online. But despite becoming a family man — the couple had a son in 2008 — and moving back to Miami, Basabe’s wild and unconventional ways didn’t slow down.

He became notorious for DUIs, alleged race-baiting episodes and altercations with doormen and hospitality staff he reportedly referred to as a “peasant.”

Plus, there are the alleged biting incidents. Plural.

And although Basabe has been married for 18 years, he has been frequently linked to male partners. During a 2021 LGBTQ Democratic Caucus event in Miami Beach, called “Let’s Get Loud,” Basabe came out as gay.

Since being elected to Florida’s House of Representatives in 2022, Basabe has been accused of slapping one of his staffers in Tallahassee (a Florida House investigation found those allegations inconclusive), in addition to the recent sexual harassment charges.

Former legislative aide Nicolas Frevola, 25, alleges in a lawsuit that Basabe smacked his backside during a visit to an elementary school and stated, “I want all that butt.” Frevola also claims that Basabe slapped him in the face and made him stand in a corner.

Frevola is also suing the Florida lawmaker for defamation.

The second accuser in the suit, Jacob Cutbirth, 24, was an unpaid intern driving Basabe to his hotel in Tallahassee, Florida, when, he claims, the intoxicated politician touched, groped and and tried to kiss him.

Cutbirth further alleges that Basabe attempted to entice him to come to his hotel room for sex. Both Cutbirth and Frevola claim that Basabe showed them a naked photo of a man and subjected them to graphic conversations about sex.

The suit seeks more than $100,000 in damages.

“Rep. Basabe looks forward to defending himself in court and we believe he will be fully vindicated once these allegations are scrutinized under the rule of law,” Robert Fernandez, Basabe’s lawyer, told The Post.

n the last year, several Instagram accounts have popped up to troll Basabe, including @hd106mia which refers to his district number.

The account, which calls for Fabian to resign, has highlighted Basabe’s multiple offenses, including a 2006 arrest on charges of drunken driving, driving without a license and running a red light on the Upper West Side.

In 2008, Basabe was arrested in Los Angeles for public urination and verbal abuse to police officers, who found two license suspensions due to a prior DUI. He was released on $85,000 bail.

In classic Basabe style, in 2016 he was slapped with a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge after riding on the top of a moving car on Washington Avenue on Miami Beach, claiming he wanted to “make a fabulous entrance to Club Twist.” Charges were later dropped.

The same year, the Miami Herald reported allegations that Basabe bit an employee at The Standard Hotel on Miami Beach after being upset that he was seated next to “randoms” at a dinner party, resulting in a “massive bloody welt and bruise on [the Standard employee’s] shoulder.”

Police were called, but no charges were filed. A representative for The Standard, which has changed ownership since the incident, would not comment.

There was another purported biting incident at the swanky Faena hotel bar in 2017. The Miami Herald detailed Basabe’s altercation with the hotel’s staff, allegedly resulting in him biting a waitress on her “left arm, bicep area.” According to the Herald, “when police arrived, they said they saw no physical evidence of a bite and the waitress didn’t want to press charges. They issued Basabe a trespass warning.”

 

Word has it that Basabe was banned from Faena after this, although the hotel wouldn’t comment. Sources close to Basabe say the story is made up.

Then there’s strong arm robbery. In 2020, Basabe threw a neighbor’s phone into the Biscayne Bay in a dispute over Covid-related restrictions at his condo’s pool. Basabe claims the neighbor was trying to film his underage son.

A warrant for his arrest was issued but Basabe left the state, leading US Marshalls to arrest him in Charleston, SC, for the outstanding warrant, with the Fugitive Task Force said to have surrounded his boat at gunpoint. The charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor and Basabe paid a fine.

Full Article: https://nypost.com/2023/07/29/the-shocking-world-of-miami-party-boy-turned-politician-fabian-basabe/

Posted on 05 Jul 2024, 15:47 - Category: News