Angry brides scammed by the owner of a trendy Dumbo wedding venue shouted insults at the fraudster as he rushed out of court after pleading guilty Thursday to tax-fraud raps.
“I hope you enjoy prison!” yelled Alina Requena, 29, who lost $8,000 when reBar owner Jason Stevens, 41, suddenly shuttered the place last month.
Another jilted bride jeered, “Jason, have fun in jail, buddy!”
When a court officer told the women, “He won’t do well [in prison] upstate,” bride Stephanie Kutch, 26, who lost $17,500, quipped, “He may be getting married up there.”
Stevens pleaded guilty in Brooklyn Supreme Court to a deal that will see him sentenced to 3¹/₃ to 10 years behind bars.
But he has not been charged with any crime related to the missing deposits.
A spokeswoman for the state Attorney General’s Office said her agency has an agreement with Stevens for him to pay $1 million in restitution to 73 customers who filed complaints.
But a source close to the portly failed entrepreneur admitted that he doesn’t have any money.
“The business was running at a loss. He deluded himself into thinking if he could just turn the corner, he could pay the sales tax back and keep going,” said the source.
“At sentencing, he will say he feels terrible. He feels awful about all these couples.
“But he hasn’t been able to say that because of his legal position.”
City school teacher Victoria Friedrich, 30, of The Bronx, who lost a $20,000 deposit for her planned February 2015 nuptials, said, “We’re happy to see that he’s facing jail time, but we want justice for the brides and grooms, too.
“Why is it a crime when you steal from the government but not from citizens?”
Her hubby-to-be agreed.
“Even if he doesn’t have the money to pay us, we still want him to be brought up on charges for the money he stole from us,” said Egon Smullyan, 32.
Stevens turned himself in last month after he was charged with stealing about $200,000 in sales taxes between 2009 and 2012 and failing to collect about $1.2 million in sales taxes during the same period, said Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson.
Stevens will not have to pay restitution on the sales tax he stole or didn’t collect, a DA spokeswoman said.
Stevens was accompanied in court by a man the brides identified as “Peter,” a reBar general manager married to Stevens’ bookkeeper.
“Hi, Mr. General Manager!” a bride hollered at the man as he helped Stevens into a waiting car.
Stevens will be sentenced on July 21.