Jason Stevens, the proprietor of the now-closed reBar in Dumbo, has been arraigned and charged with grand larceny and tax fraud, according to reports posted at The Wall Street Journal and Gothamist. A tipster spotted Stevens in court this morning; he’d been on the lam since Friday, when he allegedly made off with $150,000 of wedding deposits and $30,000 in cash.
The case has been adjourned for now, but it’s for certain that more allegations and details are forthcoming: In addition to leaving more than 35 employees without work — after first allegedly withholding several weeks’ worth of compensation — scores of couples and others have come forward to say they had left full or partial deposits for parties at the space. Since last week, a number of venues and restaurants throughout the city have stepped forward in an attempt to help anyone who had planned a party at reBar; in a little less than 24 hours over the weekend, for example, No.7’s Tyler Kord was able to put together a on-the-fly wedding reception for 120 people. They were total strangers. “I was super nervous about it because I didn’t know if we were totally going to pull it off, but they seemed really happy!” Kord told Grub yesterday.
The spokesperson for the Brooklyn DA says bail was set at $30,000 cash and a $100,000 bond, which Stevens apparently paid, and then he left.
ReBar Owner Arraigned in Brooklyn Court [WSJ]
Former ReBar Owner Jason Stevens Charged With Grand Larceny, Tax Evasion In Brooklyn[Gothamist]
Related: Brooklyn DA’s Office Investigating ReBar in Dumbo
* This post has been updated with additional information.
