All seemed well with the blended Simmons family but things took a turn this week. Russell Simmons and his ex-wife Kimora Lee were together for 14 years, married for eight, before they decided to call it quits. They have two daughters together and later, Kimora would go on to date actor Djimon Hounsou for four years and the two have a son together. By 2012, that relationship was over and in 2014, Kimora announced that she’d married Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner. The following year, they welcomed a son, as well, before adopting another child.
Russell and Kimora are often private about their personal relationships and family business, but on Wednesday (May 19), news circulated that Russell is taking his ex-wife and her husband to court. Leissner was being investigated by authorities for allegedly stealing $200 million in the 1MDB scandal that involves the former Prime Minister of Malaysia. The political figure is accused of siphoning $700 million from a government-led company.
The Blast reports that Russell claims his ex and her new husband used his shares of an energy drink named Celsius to help pay for Tim’s legal fees. Documents reportedly state that Russell said they “conspired with each other, aided and abetted each other and together engaged in fraud by causing an unlawful conversion and fraudulent transfer” of those shares without telling or alerting the music mogul.
Russell reportedly found out because his accountants were quick to note that something wasn’t right with his finances and learned that the shares had been transferred to Kimora and Tim. The Blast further states that Tim pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy back in 2018 and Russell’s legal team wrote in documents that Kimora and Tim “knew full well that Leissner would need tens of millions of dollars to avoid jail time, stay out on bail, and forfeit monies for victim compensation.” The total monies needed were calculated to the tune of $44 million.
The Def Jam icon reportedly wrote a letter to Kimora asking her to rectify this situation because he just wanted to move forward, but it didn’t work. His shares are reportedly now “locked up with the government after being used” for Leissner’s “bail money.” He’s seeking damages that include interest “and equal value for the wrongfully obtained shares.”
Kimora nor her husband have issued a statement regarding the accusations.
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