Robert K. Futterman, aged 60, was the Chairman and CEO of RKF, a major commercial real estate agency in New York City, until he was fired “for cause” late May this year due to his acting “erratically.” His supposedly volatile conduct included rudely intervening into a presentation being made by Barry Gosin, current CEO of Newark (part of Howard Lutnick’s BGC) which purchased RKF in September of last 2018. According to an anonymous source within the company, ““They were worried he would do something that would reflect badly on the company.”
Mr. Futterman was also arrested on a drug charge in April of this year in Texas. An incident which also preceded his termination. Robert Futterman repudiates any notion that he has a drug addiction, instead saying that he was merely depressed due to his breaking up with Hollie Watman, a clothing designer who he had been his girlfriend for ten years. Indeed, Mr. Futterman states that his “drug arrest” was for medical marijuana, not any other illicit substances. As he told the New York Post in an interview, “I was falsely accused of using [illegal] drugs and alcohol, which I don’t use.”
Newmark has previously attempted to have Mr. Futterman placed into an esteemed drug rehabilitation center in the Hamptons, along with other similar treatment centers, but he was routinely rejected for lack of drugs or alcohol in his bloodstream, according to a different anonymous source within the real estate company. As the source stated, “They couldn’t find a rehab to take him.”
Robert Futterman continued protesting his termination by saying, ““This is an injustice not just to me but to our entire industry and I don’t think the industry should sit back. I certainly do not plan on sitting back. My dad was a fighter, he fought in World War II. [I’ve been] unjustly persecuted for just being the person that I am.” Because of a clause in a contract he signed when RKF was purchased by Newmark, he is now prevented from being involved in the real estate industry for a period of 11 years, as well as disallowed from using his own initials, RKF, the name of the original company he was head of.
The drug arrest in Texas, which so disconcerted the heads of the real estate company, occurred when Robert Futterman was found in possession of “soft drugs,” among which was marijuana that had been made into “edibles,” a form of the drug which can be chewed and swallowed. He was originally approached by airport officials in Dallas/Fort Worth due to his leaving his bag unattended. According to the official arrest report, Mr. Futterman, “threw his bag to the floor,” while speaking to officials. A package of Cheeba Chews fell out, one of the ingredients of which is THC. CBD Oil and other edible marijuana products were found in a further search of his bag. CBD oil is a controlled substance in the state of Texas.
