The owner of reBar, the DUMBO venue which ruined several weddings when it abruptly closed its doors in May, was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to tax fraud and grand larceny, according to the Brooklyn district attorney’s office.
Jason Stevens, 41, pleaded guilty in June to stealing about $200,000 in sales taxes from 2009 to 2012 by collecting it and not remitting it to the state, the DA’s office said. Stevens and his company, Fulton Ferry Market Inc., also admitted to evading $1.2 million in sales taxes during that period. Stevens’ bar, reBar, closed in May after filing for bankruptcy. He was sentenced to a minimum of 31 /2 years, the DA’s office said.
Stevens’ attorney, Allan Bahn, said Stevens “has a lot of regrets” but doesn’t expect that the couples who lost deposits will be seeing their money any time soon.
“He has no money,” Bahn said. “He was a terrible business man.”