Miami Influencer, Scientologist Grant Cardone Lists Home on Crypto Site | Miami New Times
Navigation

Miami Real Estate Mogul, Scientologist Lists $42M Mansion on Cryptocurrency Platform

"It is one of the most luxurious properties ever to be tokenized on a blockchain and listed for sale."
Miami real estate investor, influencer, and Scientologist Grant Cardone bought the home from fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger in 2021.
Miami real estate investor, influencer, and Scientologist Grant Cardone bought the home from fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger in 2021. Photo by Elad Elkoubi/Swift Pics Photography
Share this:
Welcome to Miami: potentially the only place on Earth where cryptocurrency, Scientology, and luxury real estate collide in spectacular fashion.

Back in April, financial influencer and prominent Scientologist Grant Cardone put his sprawling Golden Beach mansion on the market for $42 million. The 13,000-square-foot waterfront home, which features seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms, boasts lavish amenities such as a movie theater, spa, six-car garage, saltwater infinity pool, and private beachfront access offering panoramic ocean views. It was designed by acclaimed interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard and has been featured in Architectural Digest.

But what sets the property apart from other listings (among other things) is the fact that it will be tokenized on a blockchain — meaning, prospective buyers will have the option to buy it using cryptocurrency and ownership will be recorded on a digital ledger.
click to enlarge
In April, Cardone put the sprawling Golden Beach mansion on the market for $42 million.
Photo by Elad Elkoubi/Swift Pics Photography
This follows a new trend of "real estate tokenization," which involves converting physical real estate assets into digital tokens on a blockchain.

"It is one of the most luxurious properties ever to be tokenized on a blockchain and listed for sale," reads a press release about the listing.
click to enlarge
The 13,000-square-foot home has private beachfront access.
Photo by Elad Elkoubi/Swift Pics Photography
Cardone bought the beachfront home from fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger in 2021 for $28 million.

The listing agent for the property is Cardone's wife, Elena Cardone, of eXp Realty.
click to enlarge
The beachfront mansion was designed by acclaimed interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard.
Photo by Elad Elkoubi/Swift Pics Photography
Cardone — one of the world’s leading “finfluencers" (AKA financial influencers) and longtime member of the Church of Scientology — owns and operates several companies, including Cardone Capital and Cardone Enterprises. He's perhaps best known for his social media presence, where he shares tips on how to build wealth to his 7.1 million Facebook followers, 4.7 million Instagram followers, and 2.6 million YouTube subscribers.

Tokenizing his property might be one of the less controversial things he's done in recent years.
click to enlarge
The listing agent for the property is Cardone's wife, Elena Cardone, of eXp Realty.
Photo by Elad Elkoubi/Swift Pics Photography
Cardone, who has been involved in a number of business disputes over the years, was hit with a class action lawsuit in 2020 alleging that he misled investors on social media with overblown promises of high returns.

Before the case was tossed out last year, Paul Pelletier, a former senior fraud section prosecutor in the Department of Justice, reviewed the documents in the suit and told the Huffington Post, "It looks like his business is built on lies and deception."

Cardone denied the allegations. While the case was pending, he said in a statement that it's a "tragedy our system is so litigious, and people are encouraged to sue others in order to hold a company doing great things hostage." The lawsuit was dismissed in California federal court in October 2023.

In 2022, a Palm Beach Post investigation found that a Cardone Capital-owned apartment complex in South Florida overcharged tenants for workforce housing — i.e., subsidized rental units intended for tenants in key industries like nurses, teachers, and firefighters — from 2018 to 2021.

Cardone has also faced litigation over claims he forced employees to attend Scientology events as a condition of employment. The claims were reportedly settled on undisclosed terms in Miami-Dade County court in 2022.

When the Huffington Post asked the Church of Scientology about Cardone's connection to it, the church responded that "while Mr. Cardone is undeniably a prominent parishioner, he holds no official nor unofficial position in the Church hierarchy and has no special 'status.'"  (The church was not named as a defendant in the litigation.)

"The fact is there are many Scientologists and they are everywhere around the world. You can find them in their homes, at work and helping others in the community," the church said.

Cardone's website says he provides "everyday investors access to the institutional-grade real estate deals that are normally reserved for only the largest investors." Cardone Capital lists $4.4 billion in assets under management with more than 15,000 investors.

"Cardone Capital’s real estate portfolio consists of 13,568 apartment units across 41 multifamily properties along with over 500,000 square feet of commercial office space," the site reads.

Editor's note: Grant Cardone emailed a letter to the editor regarding this story. It states, in part, "You should be ashamed of yourselves for the article you wrote regarding my personal residence, incorporating my religious affiliation into the article title. In 2024 it is disheartening to witness open prejudice against a specific religious group."
BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Miami New Times has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.