Billionaire Robert F. Smith threw a ‘James Bond’ themed party at his Florida mansion last weekend – but some guests were more shocked than the lavish proceedings at the beachside bash, sources told On The Money.
The chairman of Vista Equity Partners, who is the nation’s richest African-American with an estimated fortune of $8 billion, surprised his wife and family with a shindig on Dec. 2 at his beachfront property in Palm Beach to celebrate his 60th birthday. to sources close to the situation.
Still, some of the party’s 60 or so guests found the Double-0 Six-0 celebration a bit awkward and uncomfortable.
Smith’s wife, Hope Dvorachyk — Playboy’s 2010 Playboy of the Year — spent months planning the event — with what one stunned partygoer called “huge security” at the party, forcing guests to hand over their phones as they entered.
Attendees were not encouraged to enter the $48 million home — a 25,000-square-foot home formerly owned by Tiger Woods’ ex-wife Elin Nordegren, whose amenities include a putting green and 15 bathrooms.
Instead, guests were directed to a series of port-a-pottys outside. In a relentless sweep for hidden cameras and other high-tech spying devices, a guest added insult to injury by saying, “you’re being hunted when you come out of the bathroom.”
It’s been an awkward week for Smith, to say the least. Six days earlier, Smith’s former attorney, Carlos Kepke, reportedly shot himself on the eve of his trial for helping Smith hide $225 million from the IRS.
Capke’s attorneys had planned to cross-examine Smith, who had asked the judge to seal evidence in the case. In October 2020, Smith signed a plea deal with the feds not to indict him on tax charges.
In turn, Smith agreed to testify against his former business partner, Robert Brockman, who died in August before being charged with masterminding the largest personal tax fraud case in US history.
Smith’s party started around 5 p.m., and R&B singer Usher was scheduled to perform a live, Bond-like “high-impact action sequence” at sunset around 10 p.m., in which a James Bond-like character dropped from a helicopter. Sources said the show was canceled due to weather conditions.
“They had something planned, but it was too windy,” said the partygoer. “The Bond theme was a non-event. “It was not a great party.”
Smith — who is the chairman of Carnegie Hall and spent $34 million to pay off the student debt of Morehouse College’s entire graduating class of 2019 — made headlines earlier this year for his failed bid to buy the Denver Broncos.
Smith’s representatives declined to comment.
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