Rehab Owner's Troubled Past Resurfaces After Presley Gerber's Tragic Death
Dr. Reza Nabavi, the founder and owner of the “rehab” where Presley Gerber died of a suspected overdose, once had his psychology license denied over his criminal past involving drugs and a minor, Page Six has exclusively learned.We can confirm that in February 2002 — two years before he obtained his Ph.D in clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology — Nabavi, now 50, was arrested after Oakland Police Department officers found him asleep in a car in an area known for “frequent narcotic and prostitution activity.”Nabavi, who was 25 at the time, was with a 15-year-old girl, who told responding officers she did not know him very well and was under the influence of methamphetamine, per official documents.After a search of Nabavi’s vehicle, the officers said they found meth, marijuana, a hunting knife, a handgun and ammunition.Dr. Reza Nabavi (pictured), the founder and owner of the “rehab” where Presley Gerber died of a suspected overdose, once had his psychology license denied over his criminal past. LinkedInNabavi’s criminal past involves drugs and a minor. (Pictured Gerber in February 2025.) presleygerber/InstagramIn May 2002, Nabavi pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 36 months of probation.Later that month, we can confirm he was arrested again for possessing narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia after getting caught agreeing to sell meth to an informant. Upon searching his person, officers said they found meth, a glass meth pipe and marijuana.In June 2002, Nabavi pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance and was once again sentenced to 36 months of probation.In September 2004, he submitted to the California Board of Psychology an application for registration as a psychologist. According to official documents, the application was denied later that month due to the conviction of a crime, the conviction of a crime substantially related to the qualifications and practice of a psychologist, the use of a controlled substance and unprofessional conduct.Nabavi was arrested twice in California in 2002. (Pictured: Gerber in September 2022.) presleygerber/InstagramRabavi was found in a car with a teenage girl in an area known for “frequent narcotic and prostitution activity.” (Pictured: Gerber.) presleygerber/InstagramWe can confirm that Nabavi was eventually able to register as a psychological assistant in January 2006. The following month, however, that registration was revoked but stayed — with “stayed” meaning the revocation would not go into effect unless Nabavi did not comply with specific probationary terms and conditions for five years, per the California Board of Psychology.Those probationary terms and conditions included submitting to a psychological evaluation, notifying his employer of his probation, being monitored weekly by a California-licensed psychologist, entering a drug and alcohol abuse recovery program, committing to ongoing treatment and submitting to random drug and alcohol testing, per official documents.After another denial in May 2005, we can confirm that Nabavi was finally able to register as a psychologist in December 2006 in compliance with the terms and conditions of his probation. The California Board of Psychology — which granted Nabavi an early termination of his probation in May 2008 — currently lists his license expiration date as June 30, 2028.Methamphetamine, marijuana, a hunting knife, a handgun and ammunition were found in his Nabavi’s car. (Pictured: Gerber in September 2021.) Chandler Allen/BFA.com / ShutterstockNabavi was arrested less than a month later for possessing narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia after getting caught agreeing to sell meth to an informant. (Pictured: Gerber in April 2024.) presleygerber/InstagramNabavi went on to serve as the director of family services at the since-closed, celebrity-frequented rehab center Promises Malibu from June 2006 to May 2011.Two years later, he opened the halfway house Resolutions Living (RL) in Santa Monica, California, where the 27-year-old son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber died on Sunday.Nabavi is the founder and owner of RL as well as the founder and executive director of Resolutions Therapeutic Services (RTS), a clinical outpatient treatment provider claiming to offer partial hospitalization program (PHP), intensive outpatient program (IOP) and outpatient program (OP) services.RTS operates out of an office building in Santa Monica, and participants are encouraged to continue their recovery at RL.In 2004, the California Board of Psychology denied Nabavi’s application for registration as a psychologist. (Pictured: Gerber in January.) Getty Images for 11:11 MediaNabavi’s psychological assistant registration was revoked but “stayed” in February 2006. (Pictured: Gerber in May 2021.) presleygerber/InstagramThe County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner, which has not yet released Presley’s cause of death, listed his place of death as a “rehabilitation facility.”But RL — a $7.7 million three-story home with “breathtaking views of the local mountains and ocean,” located in a “prestigious” residential neighborhood — is not a “licensed substance use disorder residential treatment facility,” according to a rep for the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).The rep explained to us, “Based on publicly available information, the program appears to operate as a sober living environment or recovery residence, which is not licensed by DHCS and therefore not subject to state licensure requirements.”The facility’s website seems to have updated much of its wording and scrubbed its entire “staff page” in the days following Presley’s death.Nabavi was finally able to register as a psychologist in December 2006 in compliance with the terms and conditions of his probation. (Pictured: Gerber with parents Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber in March 2024.) ALLISON DINNER/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockIn August 2013, Nabavi opened the halfway house Resolutions Living in Santa Monica, California, where Presley (pictured with his family in December 2018) died just one day after being admitted. ZUMAPRESS.comPage Six previously confirmed that Presley — who had a well-documented history of substance abuse, addiction and mental health issues — was admitted to RL on Saturday, the day before he died.Sources with direct knowledge told us the model was “visibly under the influence” at the time.RL’s website previously stated via its now-defunct FAQ page that individuals without sufficient clean time for its outpatient programs are referred elsewhere to be “medically supervised for their detoxification phase under 24-hour nursing care.”It’s unclear whether Presley was medically or psychologically evaluated at the time of his admission to RL.Reps for Nabavi, RL and the Gerber-Crawford family did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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