Dan Bilzerian was once called the “King of Instagram” with over 32 million followers. He’s best known as a professional poker player, actor, and a millionaire playboy.
The 41-year-old’s Instagram is packed with photos of supercars, yachts, mansions, wild parties, luxury trips, and of course, a lineup of beautiful women. Dan famously claimed he dated and slept with 17 women in one week before moving on to new ones.
Dan said he started making money playing poker in college and later through business. Some reports estimate his net worth at around $200 million. But last year, Forbes published an article exposing the truth behind Dan’s lifestyle.
Rents Mansions and Parties on Other People’s Money
A lawsuit last year revealed Dan doesn’t actually own the luxury mansions he lives in, they’re rented. Even the expensive partying is charged to credit cards paid by others. In other words, Dan isn’t spending his own money on his lavish lifestyle.
Specifically, Dan rents homes in the upscale hills of Los Angeles for about $200,000 a month, but he’s not the one paying.
It turns out the mansions, planes, yachts, and more are all paid for by Ignite International, the company Dan founded where he serves as CEO and major shareholder. Curtis Heffernan, the company’s former chairman who was ousted, revealed this information.
Paying $2.4 million a year in rent and other party expenses for Dan was one reason Ignite reported a $50 million loss in 2020.
Heffernan complained about Dan spending company money and repeatedly opposed the sneaky tactics used to hide these expenses. According to Heffernan’s lawsuit, this led to his dismissal.
Ignite declined to comment on the matter. Dan denied the allegations in a statement to TMZ.
However, several former Ignite employees confirmed Heffernan’s claims were true.
“Ignite pays for everything. Dan just parties and slaps the Ignite logo on it, then suddenly it becomes a company expense. Personal events unrelated to business are still billed to the company,” one insider said.
Heffernan’s lawsuit demands damages for defamation and wrongful termination by Ignite.
The Man Behind the Lawsuit
Heffernan, a former senior executive at Procter & Gamble, joined Ignite in March 2019 when the company was trying to find a niche market. They sold cannabis products and tried to plaster their goat skull logo on everything.
Heffernan had been a sales VP at WeWork earning $275,000 a year. He became Ignite’s chairman in November 2019 after Jim McCormick left.
Trouble started in May 2020 when accountants preparing Ignite’s annual report raised red flags about the company’s finances.
According to Heffernan’s lawsuit, nearly $900,000 of company expenses were suspected to cover Dan’s personal activities. These included half a million dollars for yacht rentals, hundreds of thousands on trips, two nights in London, a $65,000 Star Wars-themed gun set, a $75,000 painted sports court, an $88,000 safe, and a $50,000 bed frame. These are just a few of many company-paid expenses.
The company also spent $26,000 to boost Dan’s Instagram followers and covered travel costs for the models who always accompany him.
Heffernan’s lawsuit says some senior directors and board members pressured him to approve these expenses as legitimate business costs. But suspecting fraud, he refused.
He even tried to convince Dan to stop renting the $200,000-a-month mansion since the pandemic meant no big parties could happen.
Dan responded by taking over as board chairman and saying, “I will throw more pool parties and keep using that mansion.” The next day, Dan accused Heffernan of drug use during a company meeting and used that as a reason to fire him in June 2020.
Ignite’s annual reports showed huge losses. Some board members and shareholders even loaned the company cash to keep it afloat.
The Millionaire’s Deceptions
Dan claimed he started poker in college, turning $750 into over $180,000. But many doubted this story. Later reports revealed Dan’s father was a businessman who owed the US Federal Reserve $62 million for financial fraud but never paid.
He set up family companies, and the money that should have gone to debt repayment ended up in the pockets of his two sons. Dan reportedly inherited about $6 million. With a knack for business, Dan used this money for ventures, money laundering, and living the high life.
Besides faking his lavish lifestyle, Dan has faced other troubles. A few years ago, during a trip with his brother and father to Armenia, Dan visited a shooting range in the self-declared Republic of Artsakh and fired a gun. Due to the tense conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan sent a diplomatic note to the US government demanding Dan’s arrest. Though he wasn’t caught, Dan remains on Azerbaijan’s international wanted list.
In late 2014, a model sued Dan, accusing him of kicking her in the face at a nightclub. But by 2015, police said they would no longer investigate the claim.
Another lawsuit involved an adult film actress who claimed Dan threw her from a balcony into a pool, breaking her leg. She sought $85,000 in damages for lost shoots and income. Dan eventually settled.
Another deception was Dan’s claim to have completed two Navy SEAL special forces training courses. Some reports revealed he never actually attended these programs and was just bragging.
