Billionaire’s Son Issues Apology for ‘Graffiti Mansion’

Almost no surface on the exterior of this Hollywood Hills mansion is without the mark of graffiti artists, and now its absentee owner is issuing an apology to neighbors who say it’s an eyesore, the Los Angeles Times reports .

With shattered windows spilling broken glass onto the sidewalk and brightly colored box letters on nearly every surface, the Mulholland Drive mansion draws the gawks of Hollywood tourist buses.

“We’ve become known for the graffiti mansion,” a neighbor, who wished to be anonymous, told the Times . “It’s so embarrassing to have this in the heart of the Hollywood Hills.”

Its owner, 40-year-old TV and film producer John Powers Middleton, who neighbors say hasn’t lived in the house for years, issued an apology for the condition of the property after it recently went viral on social media.

“What’s happened to the two properties I own is unacceptable, and no matter what caused it, I own the houses,” he wrote in a statement. “Given the persistence of the numerous trespassers, it’s a struggle.”

Middleton owns another LA mansion, on Sunset Plaza Drive, which has also fallen into disarray.

He said that the Mulholland mansion has private security, but they’ve been overwhelmed by the number of trespassers aiming to spray new tags on its walls.

His neighbors, though, are baffled by how Middleton, the son of a billionaire, let the house get into this state.

“It’s just insane,” said one, a woman who has lived nearby since 2008. “There was once a gorgeous home there. I mean, who does that? Who walks away from a $10-million house like that and just lets it go to squatters?”

Almost 20 years ago, the controversy-embroiled rapper-producer Sean “Diddy” Combs (currently under arrest on sex-trafficking charges) filmed a music video in the mansion, highlighting its huge swimming pool and spiral staircase.

A graffiti tag on the house’s roof reads, “Diddy was here.”

Middleton’s father, John Middleton, made his fortune as a tobacco mogul, selling his company in 2007 for $2.9 billion. He is now the CEO and part-owner of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The baseball team released a statement distancing themselves from the debacle.

“The California properties are owned by John Powers Middleton,” it read. “No other members of the Middleton family have ownership, investment, control or involvement in these properties.”

Through his spokesperson, the younger Middleton has pledged to repair, clean, and sell the homes “as soon as possible.”

“What’s happened to my property is criminal and I hope everyone caught will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” he said. “No one in Los Angeles should have to put up with squatters and vandalism that are out of control.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.