DJ Calvin Harris Claims Former Financial Adviser Stole $22M To Fund 'Deteriorating' Real Estate Project

Scottish music producer and DJ Calvin Harris is accusing his former financial adviser, Thomas St. John, of stealing almost $23M from him for a development project that hasn’t come to pass. 

St. John's company, Thomas St. John Group, began developing the CMNTY Culture campus in 2020. The 460K SF mixed-use project in LA is intended to be a home base for independent music and media company CMNTY Culture Group. It is slated to include performance venues, recording studios, retail, community space and offices. Two towers totaling 750 apartments were added last year due to market changes, St. John’s attorney said in a statement to Variety. 

In 2023, the project was low on funds and St. John contacted Harris, whose legal name is Adam Wiles, for an emergency investment, Harris’ arbitration claims. 

Harris provided St. John with a $10M loan and $12.5M in equity investment. Attorneys for Harris allege St. John didn’t provide any information about the project and merely handed Harris documents to sign. 

Thomas St. John Group didn’t respond to a request for comment, but its attorneys have denied all claims.

The $10M loan was due by Jan. 31 of this year, according to Harris’ attorneys, but the principal and interest are still unpaid. Harris' arbitration says responses to demands for information about his investment have been unsatisfactory. 

St. John distributed $11.7M to an entity under his control shortly after the cash infusion was made, Harris alleges. St. John's legal team denies this. Harris' attorneys say the investment is “at best, a complete boondoggle, and, at worst, a complete fraud.”

Harris’ attorneys allege the project’s finances are “deteriorating,” but St. John’s attorney said it is healthy and still in the works. 

“The development is very much viable and expected to have a $900M valuation when completed,” St. John’s attorney told Variety. 

St. John alleges Harris knew what he was signing on to and is pursuing arbitration to express unhappiness with the pace of the project. The company said interest rates and other market headwinds are tacking on extra time for real estate projects.

As of April, St. John is no longer Harris’ financial adviser after 13 years.