Jason Stevens, the owner of now-closed reBar in Dumbo, may have sneaked in and out of Brooklyn Supreme Court last week, but he wasn’t so lucky today. Accompanied by his lawyer, Stevens this morning showed up to plead not guilty to charges that he stole $150,000 from several wedding parties and owes several million in back taxes, where he was met with a small group of protestors yelling things like “Thief!” and “You are disgusting!”
For the most part, Stevens remained fixated on his phone, or at least pretended something fixating was happening on its screen. Here’s video of the confrontation shot by CBS:
One woman out $12,500 got in Stevens’s face and said, “I hope your kids are proud of you.” Others tells the various reporters and TV stations that showed up that they hope he’s prosecuted, which isn’t guaranteed, but you can bet these couples are already pursuing civil damages through one of several lawsuits in the works against Stevens.
Furious couples confront bar owner who ‘stole’ wedding deposits [NYP]
Wedding bliss turns to blistering attack on Brooklyn bar owner accused of stealing deposits [NYDN]
Related: ReBar Owner Found and Charged With Grand Larceny, Tax Fraud
