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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Alki David
Alkiviades "Alki" David (born May 1968; pronounced /ˈælki/ AL-kee) is a Cypriot-British businessman and actor. In 2008 he was the majority shareholder of Leventis-David Group, which owns Coca-Cola Hellenic bottling plants in 28 countries. His companies include the Internet-based television provider FilmOn, the home-shopping website 9021go.com, streaming-video site BattleCam.com, and the modelling agency Independent Models. He has also appeared in feature films and on television.

In recent years, multiple cases of sexual misconduct have been brought against David.

Early life

Alkiviades David was born in May 1968, in Lagos, Nigeria, to a trading and shipping family of Greek-speaking-Cypriot origin. His father, Andrew A. David (1934–2000), was born in Petra, Cyprus and went on to study business at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. In 1957, Andrew A. David joined the family business, the Leventis-David Group in Ghana, where he managed Coca-Cola Bottling Plant in Accra.

David attended high school in Switzerland and studied film at the Royal College of Art.

Career

In 1998, he co-founded the London modelling agency Independent Models, whose models included Helena Christensen.

In 2006, David partnered with veteran film producer Elliott Kastner to launch 111 Pictures Ltd., a UK-based independent production and international sales company. Also that year, David started FilmOn, an online streaming site.

He has appeared in films, including a 2008 motion picture, The Bank Job, in which David played a tunneling expert hired by Jason Statham to help with a bank heist.

According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2020 his net worth, combined with the Leventis family, was estimated at £2.35 billion. However, various news reports in 2021 quoted David as noting billionaire claims were his own fabrications, and following multi-million-dollar judgements against him claimed he was "exhausted" of any funds.

In 2024, David was ranked, together with the Leventis family, as the 60th richest person in the UK, and 2nd richest in Cypriot. This came despite David's own claims that his image as a wealthy billionaire was a fabrication.

Personal life

David has been married three times and divorced twice, and has two sons, Andrew and Alexander, with his first wife. He met second wife Emma McAllister in 2004, marrying her in 2007, and separating in 2009. As of 2011 he is married to Jennifer Stano, a swimsuit designer and former model who founded Have Faith Swimwear with David in Beverly Hills, California, in 2010. In May 2019, it was reported that David was arrested in St. Kitts after US$1.5 million of cannabis was found on his private plane.

In a 2021 interview with The Daily Beast about an $80 million judgement against him for sexual battery, David claimed to be "completely exhausted" of cash resources, and added prior claims he was a billionaire were "complete fiction" he had manufactured. Following judgements levied against him in multiple suits, David alleged the California court system was part of a corrupt conspiracy and publicly refused to comply with court ordered payments. After failing to appear at multiple court-ordered appearances, David's lawyer reported there were discussions underway to place him into conservatorship as his client was suffering from "downward spiralling mental health" issues.

Business

David's businesses include:

  • FilmOn, a video on-demand website and mobile service which is an extension of his 111Pix distribution venture.
  • BattleCam.com, a peer-to-peer video streaming website and community whose offerings including Fight Night and other pay-per-view tournaments built around mixed martial arts, gaming and comedy. David advertised for this venture by offering cash to the first person who streaks in a legal manner in front of US President Barack Obama, and by hosting a faked assisted suicide.
  • 9021go.com, a home shopping site founded in 2011
  • Hologram USA Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
  • Swiss-X, or SwissX, a cannabis manufacturing company.

Litigations

CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox Broadcasting and their studios won a temporary restraining order against David's FilmOn in November 2010 to prevent unlicensed use of their broadcast signals. David sued CBS, dropped the suit, and sued CBS Interactive in November 2011, alleging copyright infringement due to the CNET website having editorially covered infringing uses of peer-to-peer file-sharing software. In June 2013, David filed a countersuit against the four networks seeking a ruling that providing Internet technology for receiving over-the-air broadcast signals at no charge does not violate broadcasters' copyrights.

In 2019 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed complaints claiming David "engaged in a fraudulent scheme to induce the investing public to buy securities of Hologram and its subsidiary in unlawfully unregistered offerings, through materially false and misleading representations" in violation of the Securities Act of 1933. David was ordered to pay $100,000 in fines and was enjoined from being an officer in publicly held companies for a period of five years.

In 2019, David was arrested at the airport in St Kitts and Nevis for possession of over EC$1.3 million worth of cannabis after a search of his private jet.

In April 2019 a jury decided David should pay $11 million in damages to a woman who accused him of sexual assault, including $8 million in punitive damages and $3 million in compensatory damages. The woman accused David of firing her after she turned down his sexual advances and alleged he groped her in the workplace. Her complaint also accused him of showing lewd photos to employees and hiring a stripper in the workplace. As of 2023, he and his businesses have lost a total of $70 million from losing multiple cases of sexual misconduct made against him.

In 2024, a woman was awarded $900 million in damages in her sexual assault case against David, in what was described as "one of the largest sexual assault verdicts in history".

Filmography

Year Title Character Type
2004 The Freediver Hector Also director, producer and writer
The Grid Yussef Nasseriah TV series (one episode)
2005 Opa! Spiros Kakogiannis
Spooks Badrak Madjid TV series (one episode)
2006 Hotel Babylon Mr. Pappas TV series (one episode)
2007 Living with Lew Co-producer
Flight of Fury Rojar Direct-to-DVD
Voyage: Killing Brigitte Nielsen Villain Also director, producer, writer, and editor
Fishtales Captain Mavros Also director, producer, writer, and editor
2008 The Bank Job Bambos
2009 Trial & Retribution Hikmet TV series (one episode)
Waking the Dead Coban TV series (two episodes)
2012 Secrets of a Trophy Wife Himself TLC special
2015 Bob Thunder: Internet Assassin Mr. Network

References

  1. ^ Hussain, Ali (10 March 2013). "Fame and Fortune: Cut! Bond thriller is not for me. The film fan and Coca-Cola Hellenic tycoon Alki David is keen to reduce his holding in government stock". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2010. (subscription required)
  2. ^ Hussain, Ali (16 March 2008). "A billionaire who'd rather be an actor". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 6 April 2010. (subscription required)
  3. ^ "Jury Recommends Hologram Billionaire Pay Model $900M After She Detailed Office's 'Rape Room,' Ongoing Workplace Sexual Assault". Peoplemag. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  4. ^ "FilmOn TV Limited". Companies House. Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  5. ^ O'Connor, Clare (23 November 2010). "Billionaire Heir Battling Restraining Order From 'Big Four' Networks". Forbes. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  6. ^ Curran, Patrick D. (5 November 2009). COBRA: The X-Factor in Strategy Execution. Bloomington, Indiana: Authorhouse. p. Dedication page. ISBN 9781438924816. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  7. ^ Flynn, Laurie J. (12 July 1999). "Compressed Data; E-Commerce Twist: Full-Service Shipping". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  8. ^ Disgraced ‘Billionaire’ Says He Faked His Way Onto the Rich Lists, by Noah Kirsh, The Daily Beast, 19 October 2021.
  9. ^ Hough, Andrew (17 August 2010). "Alki David: British billionaire's $1m dare to person who streaks in front of Barack Obama". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013.
  10. ^ Times, The Sunday. "Rich List 2020: profiles 51-100, featuring Bernie Ecclestone". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Five Cypriots in Sunday Times Rich List's top 100". Cyprus Mail. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  12. ^ Disgraced ‘Billionaire’ Says He Faked His Way Onto the Rich Lists, by Noah Kirsch, The Daily Beast, 21 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Alki David : a man of many parts". Business XL. May 2008. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  14. ^ Gardner, Eriq (4 October 2012). "Meet Alki David: The Billionaire Hollywood Bad Boy Being Sued by Every TV Network". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. ...44-year-old Greek immigrant with a net worth of $1.7 billion....
  15. ^ "About the Designer". HaveFaith.com. 3 January 2012. Archived from the original on 31 October 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  16. ^ Wallace, Danielle (14 May 2019). "Reports: Coca-Cola heir arrested in Caribbean with $1.3M in cannabis, 5,000 plants aboard private jet". MSN. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  17. ^ Coca-Cola bottling heir demands judge recuse herself, citing bizarre conspiracy theory, by Hillel Aron, Courthouse News Service, 15 February 2022.
  18. ^ Coke bottling heir’s mental health in ‘downward spiral,’ lawyer says, by Hillel Aron, Courthouse News Service, 10 February 2022.
  19. ^ "FilmOn to disrupt TV with new streaming channels". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  20. ^ "Billionaire Alki David Presents First Ever "Fight Night at BattleCam.com"" (Press release). BattleCam.com via PRWeb.com. 7 February 2011. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  21. ^ Papapostolou, Anastasios (30 July 2011). "Alki Did It Again! – First Assisted Suicide Broadcast Live Over the Internet was a Promotion". Greek Reporter. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  22. ^ "About 9021go". 9021go.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  23. ^ "Billionaire Hollywood bad boy Alki David is resurrecting the dead with holograms". City AM. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  24. ^ X; Instagram; Email; Facebook (19 June 2024). "L.A. jury orders Alki David to pay $900 million in sexual assault suit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 September 2024. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  25. ^ Gustin, Sam (5 July 2011). "Alki David Drops CNET Lawsuit; Vows to Bring 'Expanded' Action". paidContent. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  26. ^ "CBS Interactive Again Accused of Contributing to Piracy". The Hollywood Reporter. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  27. ^ Anderson, Nate (4 May 2011). "CNET sued over LimeWire, blamed for 'Internet Piracy Phenomenon'". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  28. ^ Gardner, Eriq (27 June 2013). "Alki David Fights TV Broadcasters' Lawsuit". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  29. ^ SEC Obtains Final Judgments Against Hologram USA Networks Inc. and CEO in Offering Fraud Scheme, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 20 March 2020.
  30. ^ "Arrested billionaire investor wanted to start cannabis business in Dominica," DNO, 15 May 2019 https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/arrested-billionaire-investor-wanted-to-start-cannabis-business-dominica/ See also: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/05/jonathan-rhys-meyer-alki-david-cannabis-plants-private-jet-st-kitts
  31. ^ Cullins, Ashley (26 April 2019). "Jury Awards $11M in Damages in Alki David Sexual Assault Trial". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  32. ^ X; Instagram; Email; Facebook (14 December 2023). "Businessman Alki David ordered to pay $8.4 million in sexual assault case". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 September 2024. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
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