A Manhattan real-estate executive pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing $1.6 million from his company to pay for cocaine and strip-club binges.
Rockie Gajwani, the former CEO of Trevi Retail, copped to one count of wire fraud and three counts of tax evasion in Manhattan federal court.
Gajwani wrote himself checks and wired himself company funds for nonbusiness expenses, including cocaine-fueled trips to strip clubs, federal officials have said.
To cover his tracks, he solicited help from an employee.
In May 2012, for example, Gajwani told the employee he needed help paying his credit-card bill, which included large expenses tied to one of his strip-club outings, officials have said.
The employee agreed to write Gajwani a check for a $16,000 — but only after Gajwani gave the worker a similarly sized check from Trevi that Gajwani labeled “expenses,” officials said.
As part of his plea deal, the former Vornado executive agreed to fork over $3.5 million, including back taxes owed to the IRS.
Gajwani’s lawyer, Mark Gombiner, declined to comment.