A former high-flying real estate agent from Melbourne’s inner north is now staying in a ritzy rehab facility after police allegedly caught him with drugs and firearms.
Mason Staver, 35, appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court via videolink from the exclusive Windsor House Private rehab clinic.
The facility, known for its celebrity clientele, charges nearly $5,000 per week for a bed, with a special 90-day rate of $49,000 available only if paid upfront.
Staver, who worked for Nelson Alexander, is the son of prominent auctioneer and real estate mogul Arch Staver, who was previously the director of Nelson Alexander’s Fitzroy and Carlton North offices.
Arch sold homes to celebrities including Tina Arena and Red Symons, as well as some of the priciest properties in Melbourne’s inner north, particularly in tightly held Fitzroy North.
Arch’s wealth enabled his son to attend Fitzroy North Primary School before moving on to Xavier College, where he studied alongside future footballers and lawyers.
Despite his privileged upbringing and elite education, Mason Staver ultimately spiralled into severe drug addiction.
Friends and former colleagues in real estate said Staver was ‘out of control on drugs’.Â
Former Nelson Alexander estate agent Mason Staver, 35, has been charged with gun and drug offences
Mason is the son of former Nelson Alexander director Arch Staver (pictured)
‘I can’t remember him not being on cocaine,’ one ex-colleague told the Daily Mail.
Another friend familiar with the family said, ‘He was off his head,’ adding that everyone in the inner-north real estate scene knew about Staver and his reputation.
His drug use led to his appearance in court on serious drug and firearms charges.
Staver faces 31 charges after police raided an Abbotsford terrace owned by his father on May 26.
Officers allegedly found a range of drugs, firearms and other weapons.Â
It is alleged that Staver was caught at the address with a firearm, an unregistered handgun, as well as weapon components and ammunition.
Staver, a father, is also accused of storing a firearm insecurely, with the weapon allegedly found near a child’s cot and toys.
Staver’s child is understood to live with his ex-partner.Â
Staver has been barred from using drugs and alcohol while on bail
Staver, charged with possessing a firearm as a prohibited person, was also allegedly found with several imitation firearms, a machete, a taser, and quantities of cocaine, cannabis and magic mushrooms.
It was an allegedly stolen vehicle that first put investigators on Staver’s trail.
He allegedly stole a 2014 Range Rover valued at $50,000 and fled from police, who later found the vehicle dumped near the Abbotsford address.
A search of the car allegedly uncovered multiple unregistered handguns and ammunition on March 29.
Staver, charged with driving while unlicensed, was not permitted to drive at the time of his arrest.Â
Arch Staver sold some of Melbourne’s most expensive properties and also sold homes to Red Symons and Tina Arena
If he had been, his father could easily have bought him a car, as a family friend recounted to the Daily Mail.
‘He [Arch] drove a Porsche, a good one, and he got to work one day and saw that everyone else was driving Porsches and I thought, “I can’t have this,” so he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new Aston Martin,’ the friend told the Mail.
‘He was so p**sed off that they were driving Porsches that he spent something like $800,000 on an Aston Martin. He thought, “I’m the boss and these guys [staff] can’t be driving the same car as me.”
‘I don’t know if it was $800,000, but it was in the range.’
Mason Staver is also charged with burglary and dealing with the proceeds of crime after police alleged he stole furniture from an Abbotsford home sometime between February 21 and February 25.
He was granted bail and will reappear in court on September 19.
Staver is staying at Windsor House Private (above) where beds can cost almost $5,000 a week
Staver will not be permitted to leave the premises unless approved in advance by senior staff
In the meantime, he will reside at Windsor House Private under strict bail conditions. He is not permitted to leave the premises unless approved in advance by senior staff.
Staver, who appeared almost entirely grey of beard and hair, is also denied access to a phone or any ‘computer device’ unless approved by senior Windsor House staff.
He is prohibited from using drugs or consuming alcohol and may only communicate with people approved in advance by Windsor House Private.
The court heard that Staver was transported from his previous jail cell to Windsor House by his father.
According to the Windsor House Private website, the facility caps resident numbers at 14.
‘Our well-appointed facility includes group and individual therapy rooms, common areas for dining and relaxation, and beautiful, big, well-appointed bedrooms in our renovated art deco space,’ the website states.
‘Client privacy and safety is paramount, and is at the heart of all that we do.’
