Russell Simmons Says Kimora Lee Stole $800 Million From Him To Bail New Husband Out Of Jail

Russell Simmons has claimed that his ex-wife, Baby Phat founder and model Kimora Lee Simmons stole money from him to get her husband out of jail on bail. “I must’ve been a shit partner, from what I hear,” he told Graham Bensinger in an interview that went viral. “No. I was very generous and tried to be supportive. We were together 15 years, Kimora and I. And for eight years, we were married. And together for seven, before that. And then, I was best friends with Kimora throughout the entire raising of my children. the mogul said it didn’t take long for the whole situation to go left. “So, I tried to be flexible, and accommodating, and supportive,” he continued. “And sometimes, things don’t work out. You’ve seen the lawsuit. I had no choice. I think Jesus Christ, Lord Buddha, anybody would have sued. […] She gave what is now, today, based on the value of the stock, $800million to the government illegally, and now I’m fighting to get my half of it back. During Simmons’s statements, a headline blaring, “Russell Simmons Sues Ex-Wife Kimora Lee for Fraud and Allegedly Stealing Stocks to Pay Her New Husband’s Bail Fees” from Vanity Fair came across the screen. The new husband Tim Leissner, pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in 2018. He was also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. At the time, Russell Simmons alleged that Kimora Lee Simmons ponied up $44million in Celsius stocks (or, the equivalent of about four million shares) to use as collateral for Leissner’s federal bond, pending the outcome of the trial. Russell first claimed that Kimora defrauded him out of the Celsius shares back in 2021 In his suit, Simmons said the couple used the funds to pay for legal fees associated with the husband’s federal fraud case. In addition to pleading guilty to the charges, Leissner was ordered to pay back $43.7 million as part of his sentence. 

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