10 May 28th - June 3rd, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | yelled at Jeremy, who withdrew, claiming he’d been afraid that Von Gold was dying. At Burning Man, Von Gold said, Jeremy confessed that he loved him and wanted to have a romantic relationship. Von Gold said Jeremy also explained that his brother sexu- ally assaulted him when he was 11. Shocked, Von Gold rejected Jeremy’s advances. “Maybe he thought he actually had a chance of turning me gay,” Von Gold told New Times. “I would rather jump into a volcano, get revived and jump in again infi- nitely than even think about something like that.” That conversation is the basis of Von Gold’s claims about Rodney Glassman. In his affidavit, Von Gold wrote that Jeremy “described to me behavior that suggests he was severely abused, physically and sexually, by his older brother Rodney.” Von Gold also quoted recordings he allegedly made in which California attorney Joe Nazarian, a onetime friend of both Jeremy and Von Gold, described how Jeremy had been “raped” by Rodney when they were both much younger, suggesting that Jeremy had repeated the pattern of inappropriate behavior by targeting Von Gold. “Semantics doesn’t matter,” Nazarian is quoted in the affidavit as saying. “What basi- cally I’m saying is that he was sexually abused by his brother. Typically, when people are traumatized as children, they will pass on that trauma. So, he tried to do what his brother did to him, to you. That’s really what it comes down to.” Nazarian did not return multiple calls from New Times asking for comment. Photos online show Nazarian, Jeremy and Von Gold at parties together, and Von Gold backed up other elements of his story with pictures, recordings and text messages, many between himself and Jeremy. However, Von Gold’s claims about the Glassman brothers lack direct evidence, relying on hearsay to buttress allegations that are decades old and almost impossible to prove or disprove. Von Gold also has a personal bone to pick with the Glassmans. After Burning Man and Jeremy’s alleged confession, Jeremy began cutting Von Gold out of the business. By the end of December, Von Gold moved out of Jeremy’s condo and was asking to be cashed out of the company. Von Gold gave New Times recordings of his negotiations with Jeremy’s lawyers: first Nazarian, then Broberg. During Von Gold’s conversations with Nazarian, the attorney seemed to concede that Von Gold was owed money for his work for the company. Nazarian also described Jeremy as “super confused sexually” in part because he was “sexually abused by his brother.” In May 2023, Von Gold agreed to a $38,000 settlement and signed a nondispar- agement agreement. Von Gold said he received only $28,000. Because of this — and because he felt he was owed much more for his part in building the business — Von Gold began to explore reopening negotiations. In the February 2026 affidavit, which Von Gold said was drafted by his attorneys to be sent to Broberg, Von Gold insisted that he had taken the money and signed a nondis- paragement agreement because he was “facing homelessness” and was “under duress.” Von Gold said his attorneys sent a demand letter to Broberg at Tiffany & Bosco, asking for $500,000. Broberg responded in an April 9 letter, which Von Gold supplied to New Times. The letter accused Von Gold of “attempting to blackmail Jeremy out of a half-a-million dollars by baselessly accusing Jeremy and his family members of sexual misconduct.” It denied all of Von Gold’s allegations, including that Jeremy “attempted to sexu- ally assault” Von Gold at Burning Man. It further contended that Von Gold was “in breach of the settlement agreement,” advising him to “cease and desist” making any derogatory comments about Jeremy. It also stated that Jeremy “reserves all rights and remedies relative to any damage caused thus far.” This was apparently enough for Von Gold’s attorneys to take a powder, leaving Von Gold on his own. Then, on May 10, Von Gold posted a statement to X, explaining that he was “told allegations involving Rodney Glassman, including alleged abuse and sexual misconduct of a minor family member,” adding that “the victim assaulted me previously on multiple occasions before disclosing this to me.” Von Gold also recently posted a link on X to a GoFundMe account to help him with “potential legal expenses from speaking out.” As of Tuesday afternoon, there had been no donations. Petersen fans on a mission Von Gold’s affidavit had been circulating in Arizona political spheres long before he posted his allegations online. Several politicos in town — Republican and Democrat alike — have been aware of the existence of the affidavit and/or the allega- tions therein, including Petersen and some friendly to his campaign. Recently, a high-profile attorney — who claimed not to be acting on behalf of Petersen — approached New Times, offering to share the Von Gold affidavit and its supporting audio recordings, though New Times already possessed them. Then, in mid-May, Callini, Caldwell and Biggs cata- pulted the issue from the rumor mill into the public realm with campaign stop queries, posts on X and a complaint to the Attorney General’s Office, garnering a wider audience in the process and demanding a rigorous vetting. Asked how his February affidavit gained such wide currency behind the scenes of the Arizona political arena, Von Gold said that he didn’t know. But he admitted that others, in addition to his attorneys, had access to the document. Von Gold said he’s had no contact with Petersen’s campaign, but conceded that he has talked to people “enthusiastic” about Petersen, including Gaby Biggs. Some of those people offered him their “opinions” about the saga. In an interview with New Times, Biggs said she supports Petersen’s candidacy. According to campaign finance >> p 11 Claim Game from p 9
