Former Brooklyn wedding venue owner sentenced in tax evasion case

WILLIAMSBURG (WABC) -- The former owner of a Brooklyn wedding venue was sentenced Monday to three and a half to ten years in prison for tax evasion.

Jason Stevens had already been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to grand larceny.

Prosecutors say Stevens took $1.8 million in deposits for weddings before closing his restaurant and venue "ReBar" in Williamsburg.

He left many engaged couples without their deposits when he abruptly closed ReBar back in May.

The excited couples planning to get married were shocked to learn of the closure and searched for Stevens, who disappeared and took the deposits with him.

The Attorney General's office reached an agreement in principal with Stevens to pay more than $1 million in restitution to 73 consumers who filed complaints and provided proof of payments. Once the agreement is finalized, consumers who have not yet come forward will have 120 days to file complaints and submit proof of payment.

Additionally, over the past several weeks, the Attorney General's office called approximately 25 consumers whose checks had not yet been cashed to make sure they'd stopped payment on those checks.