Dr. Reza Nabavi, the founder of the unlicensed sober-living house where Presley Gerber died, had his first bid to become a registered psychologist rejected because of multiple drug arrests involving methamphetamine and a teenage girl.
Nabavi, 50, was taken into custody in February 2002 when Oakland police discovered him asleep in a vehicle parked in an area known for frequent narcotic and prostitution activity, according to official documents. The then-25-year-old was accompanied by a 15-year-old girl who told officers she did not know him well and was under the influence of methamphetamine. A search of the car turned up meth, marijuana, a hunting knife, a handgun and ammunition.
In May 2002, Nabavi pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance and received 36 months of probation. Later that same month, he was arrested again after agreeing to sell meth to an informant. Officers found meth, a glass meth pipe and marijuana on his person. He pleaded no contest to another misdemeanor possession charge in June 2002 and was sentenced to a second 36-month probation term.
When Nabavi applied to the California Board of Psychology in September 2004, the denial came swiftly. Official documents show the board rejected him later that month for conviction of a crime, conviction of a crime substantially related to the qualifications and practice of a psychologist, use of a controlled substance and unprofessional conduct.
A rep for the Department of Health Care Services 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.”
Nabavi eventually registered as a psychological assistant in January 2006, but that status was immediately revoked and stayed. The stay meant the revocation would not take effect provided he met specific probationary terms for five years, including submitting to a psychological evaluation, notifying his employer of his probation, weekly monitoring 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.
After another denial in May 2005, Nabavi finally secured his psychologist registration in December 2006 by complying with those probationary conditions. The California Board of Psychology granted him an early termination of probation in May 2008. His license is currently set to expire June 30, 2028.
From June 2006 to May 2011, Nabavi served as director of family services at Promises Malibu, a now-closed rehab center frequented by celebrities. Two years later, he opened Resolutions Living in Santa Monica, the $7.7 million three-story home where Presley Gerber, 27, died on Sunday. The property sits in a prestigious residential neighborhood with what promotional materials describe as breathtaking views of the local mountains and ocean.
Nabavi also founded Resolutions Therapeutic Services, a clinical outpatient treatment provider operating out of a Santa Monica office building. The outfit claims to offer partial hospitalization program, intensive outpatient program and outpatient program services, and participants are encouraged to continue recovery at Resolutions Living.
The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner has not yet released Presley’s cause of death but listed his place of death as a “rehabilitation facility.” reports said the model was admitted to Resolutions Living on Saturday, the day before he died, and sources with direct knowledge said he was visibly under the influence at that time.
Resolutions Living’s website previously stated via a 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 remains unclear whether Presley received any medical or psychological evaluation upon admission.
In the days following Presley’s death, the facility’s website updated much of its wording and scrubbed its entire staff page.
Reps for Nabavi, Resolutions Living and the Gerber-Crawford family did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
