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ReBar Fraudster Jason Stevens Gets Plea Deal For 3-10 Years In Prison
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 12, 2014
Modified Jun 12, 2014
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 12, 2014
Modified Jun 12, 2014
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Infamous reBar owner Jason Stevens, who abruptly shut down his business at the end of May, stiffing workers and couples hundreds of thousands of dollars, has agreed to a plea deal. The Brooklyn DA's office confirmed that Stevens pled guilty to grand larceny 2 and four counts of criminal tax fraud in the second degree today; he is facing 3 1/3 to 10 years imprisonment as a result.
The plea deal does not include any criminal charges related to the wedding clients he screwed over; Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson’s office said that stealing couples' money would be a civil matter. As we previously reported, many of the couples who were screwed by Stevens with the shuttering of reBar are still planning on joining together for a class action lawsuit. And at least two couples have already filed their own lawsuits against him as well.
Some former employees told us that Stevens made off with around $150,000 in wedding deposit checks and $27,000 in cash. Stevens had been audited by the IRS last year, and those former staffers suggest he owed $2.5-3 million in unpaid sales tax.
Couples outside the court today had mixed feelings about the deal: "We’re happy to see that he’s facing jail time, but we want justice for the brides and grooms, too," Victoria Friedrich, a teacher who lost nearly $20K on her Feb 2015 reBar wedding, told the Post. "Why is it a crime when you steal from the government but not from citizens?"
Tagged
bankrupt
brooklyn
Brooklyn Criminal court
grand larceny
jason stevens
rebar
tax evasion
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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