Cops arrested Rebar owner Jason Stevens on felony tax fraud and theft charges on Thursday, a week after he shuttered his bar and restaurant suddenly, leaving dozens of to-be-married couples out money and a place to hold their weddings.
Stevens was arraigned in Kings County Criminal Court for allegedly failing to file taxes and pocketing sales tax money from June 2009 to Dec. 2012, according to documents from the district attorney’s office. A spurned lovebird praised the allegedly shady proprietor’s capture.
“We’re happy that he was caught,” said Christian Pascarella, who had a wedding booked at Rebar and is helping organize some of the put-out couples. “We’re glad that he’s not out of the country or anything like that. He’ll probably have to start facing the music now.”
The Dumbo space’s closing has sent couples scrambling to try to get their money back from Stevens and find a new venue to host their special day.
The district attorney’s office initially said it was eyeballing the missing wedding deposit money, but now says that the issue should be sorted out in civil court.
Authorities released Stevens on $100,000 bail, $30,000 of which Stevens posted in cash, according to the district attorney’s office.
Stevens’ lawyer declined to comment.
