Grant Cardone
Birth nameGrant Timothy Cardone
Birth dateMarch 21, 1958 (age 68)
Birth placeLake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
SpouseElena Rosaia (m. July 4, 2004)
EducationMcNeese State University (BS)
WebsiteOfficial website

Grant Timothy Cardone (born March 21, 1958) is an American businessman, financial influencer, and writer. He is the founder and CEO of Cardone Capital and Cardone Training Technologies, Inc. In 2010, he wrote the New York Times bestselling book, If You're Not First, You're Last.

Early life

Born on March 21, 1958, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Cardone is one of five children of Curtis Louis and Concetta Neil Cardone.[1][better source needed] His father owned a grocery store and had also trained as a stockbroker.[2] When Cardone was 10 years old, his father died. A decade later, his brother Curtis also died.[2]

Cardone graduated from La Grange High School in Lake Charles in 1976[3] and went on to earn a degree in accounting from McNeese State University.[4] Between the ages of 16 and 25, Cardone struggled with drug and substance abuse, experiencing three overdoses before ultimately entering a treatment center.[5]

Career

After graduating from university, Cardone worked in a sales training company, where he traveled from Lake Charles to Houston, Texas and then to La Jolla, California, where he lived for 12 years. He moved into car sales and later became the president and CEO of Freedom Motorsports Group Inc. He owns Cardone Group, Cardone Enterprises and Cardone Real Estate Holdings.[1][better source needed]

In 2016, Forbes listed Cardone as one of the "25 Marketing Influencers To Watch In 2017".[6] As of 2023, HuffPost estimated that Cardone has 2.4 million subscribers on YouTube; 4.4 million and 6.8 million followers on Instagram and Facebook respectively.[2]

In late 2024, Cardone launched a bitcoin real estate fund.[7]

Cardone Training Technologies

In 2015 and 2016, several former employees of Cardone Training Technologies filed religious discrimination complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that they were fired for refusing to take Scientology training courses disingenuously renamed as "L. Ron Hubbard training".[8]

Cardone's company has sued several clients who could no longer afford the hefty monthly payments on their training contracts. Having no termination clauses, clients were sued for tens of thousands of dollars of remaining balances on their contracts.[2]

Cardone Capital

Cardone Capital purchases and manages large quantities of multifamily rental properties and sells shares in the pooled investment.[9] In 2024 Cardone Capital claimed to have approximately four billion dollars in assets under management.[10] Using his social media and other communication channels, Cardone tells potential investors that they should view "their own houses as a money-sinking liability rather than a real estate asset", that they should rent, and invest their money in his funds, which he has guaranteed 15% annualized returns. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has warned him to moderate his sales pitches.[9]

In 2020, a client sued Grant Cardone and Cardone Capital, LLC for violating SEC regulations regarding potential misstatements or omissions. The lawsuit, a putative class action, cited Cardone's own words: "You're gonna walk away with a 15% annualized return. If I'm in that deal for 10 years, you're gonna earn 150%. You can tell the SEC that's what I said it would be. They call me Uncle G and some people call me Nostradamus, because I'm predicting the future, dude; this is what's gonna happen." A Federal District Court in California dismissed the plaintiff's claims, saying that statements on social media were not actionable under the Securities Act, but the US Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal, stating that "sellers of securities that use social media communications to communicate with prospective investors are engaged in solicitation that can be actionable under the Securities Act".[2][11][12] An amended complaint was filed in 2023 by a family member of the plaintiff who had died since the original filing.[9]

Paul Pelletier, who was the Department of Justice's most senior fraud prosecutor during a 25-year career at the agency, reviewed the documents in the class action case against Cardone. "It looks like his business is built on lies and deception that will likely collapse leaving investors holding an empty bag," he said.

— BuzzFeed News[2]

A 2022 investigative report by The Palm Beach Post showed that from 2018 to 2021 Cardone Capital-owned Miami-area apartment complex Wellington Club overcharged tenants for workforce housing — a government program to provide discounted housing in high-cost-of-living areas to renters employed in key industries such as nursing, teaching and firefighting who would otherwise be priced out of their service area. According to the report, this allowed Wellington Club to boost profits while suppressing the county's workforce housing program in a county with limited affordable housing.[13][14]

In 2026, Brian H. Robb, his former Chief Marketing Officer filed a $1 billion defamation lawsuit against Grant Cardone and Cardone Capital, alleging that Cardone made defamatory statements about him on Facebook and in communications to third parties. The lawyers argue that reputational harm is "foreseeable, severe, and presumed under Florida law" when Cardone and his company willingly weaponized their reach to their 16 million followers.[15]

Others

On a 2023 livestream, Cardone got in a heated dispute with former T-Mobile CEO John Legere who told him that "You are the biggest bullshit artist on the planet," called him "a con man of the highest order" and a "fucking fraud."[16] In January 2024, Cardone sued Legere for $100 million, alleging defamation.[17][18] In August, Cardone rejected an offer from Legere to settle out of court,[19] and the parties agreed to a confidential settlement in January 2025.[20]

In 2024 Cardone sued Formula One Group and Hard Rock Cafe alleging that his expensive watch had been stolen during a Miami Grand Prix event as a result of lax security.[21]

In 2025 a Las Vegas woman was charged with stealing millions from seven influencers including $2.3 million from the Cardones.[22]

Personal life

Cardone married Elena Rosaia Lyons on July 4, 2004. They have two daughters.[23][24] The Cardones reside in Golden Beach, Florida and Malibu, California.[25][26] Cardone is a Scientologist,[16] and according to The Village Voice he had reached the OT VIII level as of 2011.[27] Elena is also a Scientologist and the couple are major donors to the Church of Scientology.[28]

Elena fundraised for Kari Lake in 2024 and is active in her husband's businesses.[29] Following the New York business fraud lawsuit against the Trump Organization, Elena set up a GoFundMe to help Donald Trump pay off his multimillion-dollar legal judgments.[10] Cardone has been a consistent supporter of Donald Trump, and even engaged Trump as the headliner at one of Cardone's 10X conferences in 2022.[19]

Published works and media appearances

Cardone has written five books: The 10X Rule, Sell or Be Sold, Closers Survival Guide, If You’re Not First, You’re Last, and Sell to Survive. He is a regular contributor to Fox & Friends and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, and has appeared on CNBC, CNN.[1][better source needed] He has also appeared on Turnaround King and Undercover Billionaire.[9]

References

  1. ^ Cardoso, Paul (12 April 2022). "Grant Cardone Wife, Height, Weight, Brother, Family, Biography, Other Facts". Naija News. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  2. ^ Warren, Tom (July 20, 2023). "Financial Influencer Grant Cardone Says He Can Make You A Billionaire. His Investors Claim He Defrauded Them.". HuffPost. Archived July 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  3. ^ Résumé '76. Lake Charles, Louisiana: LaGrange High School. 1976. pp. 125, 145, 203. – via Louisiana Digital Library.
  4. ^ Cardone, Grant (April 20, 2017). "I didn't Go to Harvard, but I Can Hire Harvard Grads". grantcardone.com
  5. ^
  6. ^ Schroeder, Jules (29 November 2016). "25 Marketing Influencers To Watch In 2017". Forbes. Archived June 2, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  7. ^ Taylor, Julie (21 December 2024), "Property Mogul Grant Cardone Launches 'First Ever' Bitcoin Real Estate Fund on Florida's Space Coast", retrieved 30 May 2025
  8. ^ Ortega, Tony (August 12, 2016). "Former workers file EEOC complaints saying Grant Cardone forced Scientology on them". The Underground Bunker
  9. ^ Gabert-Doyon, Josh (August 29, 2023). "The Real Estate Hustle-Culture Con That's Exploiting Investors and Wrecking the Housing Market". The New Republic. Archived March 26, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  10. ^ Fung, Gloria (March 8, 2024). "Meet the millionaires who started a GoFundMe for Donald Trump: Elena and Grant Cardone are raising funds to pay the former president's fine – while Grant 'goes broke' twice a year to pay less tax". South China Morning Post. Archived March 16, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  11. ^ Bandell, Brian (December 23, 2022). "Court revives lawsuit against 10X wealth guru Grant Cardone". South Florida Business Journal
  12. ^ Alvarado, Francisco (December 28, 2022). "Grant Cardone is back on the hook in a class action suit". The Real Deal. Archived July 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  13. ^ Hinsche, Kate (December 13, 2022). "Cardone's Lake Worth workforce housing complex found overcharging tenants". The Real Deal. Archived December 22, 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ^ Marra, Andrew (December 12, 2022). "Tenants in county's largest workforce housing site overcharged by hundreds for years". The Palm Beach Post
  15. ^ Moore, Rachel (2026-05-26). "A $1 Billion Reckoning: Inside the Robb v. Cardone Defamation Lawsuit and Grant Cardone's Mounting Legal Troubles". USA Herald. Retrieved 2026-05-30. (page 2) (page 3)
  16. ^ Caputo, Liv (May 14, 2024). "'Bullsh-t Artist and Fraud': Ex T-Mobile CEO Loses Motion to Dismiss Defamation Case With Trump-Aligned Business Man". The Floridian. Archived January 15, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  17. ^ Lowell, Hugo. "Former T-Mobile chief denied bid to dismiss $100m defamation suit from Trump ally". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  18. ^ Willis, Lisa. "Social Media Celebrities Clash in 100m Lawsuit". Law.com. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  19. ^ Lowell, Hugo (August 25, 2024). "Former T-Mobile CEO to be deposed in $100m defamation suit from Trump ally". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  20. ^ Willis, Lisa. "'Full-Throated Apology': Legal Theory in the Grant Cardone/John Legere Feud". law.com. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  21. ^ Alvereido, Francesco. "Grant Cardone sues Hard Rock Stadium, F1 over stolen $750K watch". therealdeal.com. The Real Deal. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  22. ^ Murphy, Vanessa. "High-profile influencers at center of multi-million-dollar Las Vegas theft case". 8newsnow.com. 8 News Now. Archived May 16, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  23. ^ Singh, Ritika (November 19, 2024). "Who is Grant Cardone's Wife? Elena Lyons' Kids & Relationship History". Y! Entertainment. Archived April 17, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  24. ^ "About". elenacardone.com. Archived June 16, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  25. ^ Bandell, Brian (June 4, 2021). "Fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger sells Golden Beach mansion for $24M (Photos)". South Florida Business Journal. Archived June 16, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  26. ^
  27. ^
  28. ^
  29. ^ Skalka, Liz (February 8, 2024). "The Wife of a Controversial Influencer Is Hosting a Fundraiser for Kari Lake". HuffPost. Archived September 28, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 February 2025.