Entertainment

From Hamptons mansion to $5M bond: How NYC developer Nir Meir spent a fortune on wine and cars before ending up in cuffs

Before he was being held on $5 million cash bond on charges of grand larceny, tax fraud and falsifying business records, NYC developer Nir Meir was known for spending a fortune on fine wines, exotic cars and other flights of fancy.

Meir, 49, has pleaded not guilty in Manhattan Criminal Court, and says he’s broke after being forced to declare bankruptcy earlier this month.

But there was a time when the developer had deep pockets. In 2021, he sold a mansion in Southampton to Patriots owner Robert Kraft for a cool $43 million, and his estate was on the same street, Meadow Lane, as finance titans like Ken Griffin, Leon Black and Henry Kravis.

Nir Meir was once known for his lavish spending in the Hamptons. Steven Hirsch

Sources told Page Six that Meir was once known for popping $50,000 bottles of wine in the Hamptons, as well as for his extensive car collection, and even having ducks in his pool a la Tony Soprano, a source said. (Though the ducks in “The Sopranos” were the wild kind, and used as symbolism for Tony’s conflicting feelings about his life.)

Said one source of Meir as a host, “He’d pull out a wine [for guests] and pour a glass, and say, ‘You’ve never had a wine like this in your life.’” The insider added that the same went for scotch and cigars.

According to Curbed, Meir had knocked down a 10-bedroom beachfront “cottage” on Meadow Lane to erect the modern 6,600-square-foot mansion he later sold to Kraft.

At the estate, the outlet reported, “Meir and his wife, Ranee Bartolacci, regularly hosted omakase nights, bringing a sushi chef from Manhattan for private dinners. Sometimes omakase nights would be followed on Sundays with pizza catered by Nolita’s Pasquale Jones.”

The dinners allegedly cost $10,000, the Real Deal reported.

A former staffer at Meir’s onetime firm, HFZ Capital, told the publication that, “Nir spent more money than God.”

The real estate mogul pleaded not guilty in Manhattan Criminal Court. Steven Hirsch

The Hamptons home was mired in lawsuits before Meir successfully sold it to Kraft, and was also embroiled in a divorce that Curbed called “the ugliest” in Manhattan real estate.

Meir’s former business partner in HFZ, Ziel Feldman, alleged in court papers against Meir that the home actually belonged to HFZ. The court docs by Feldman also alleged that Meir spent hundreds of thousands on wine, strip clubs, private jets, and yachts, as well as 1.5 million on gold coins and bullion.

Feldman also alleged that Meir’s monthly American Express bill totaled more than $400,000, and that he kept cars including five Mercedes, plus a $300,000 1996 Porsche.

His former partner has alleged he spent thousands on wine and other lavish interests. WireImage for Niche Media, LLC

In another legal suit against him that revealed Meir’s once-lavish lifestyle, lawyers for a car importer and investor named Yoav Harlap alleged Meir spent $6,000 in a single month at the Gold Rush Cabaret, a strip club in Miami.

Meir has denied any wrongdoing in the cases.

He also told Judge Ann Thompson this week in Manhattan court as he made his unsuccessful bid for release in his latest legal case: “I’m a 49-year-old guy, never had any priors, never been arrested in my life. I am an upstanding citizen all my life.” He added, “I don’t have any assets, nor do I have the ability to post any bail.”

Prosecutors accuse him and a number of other real estate industry execs of pilfering millions from investors, subcontractors and New York City in an $86 million, years-long fraud while Meir was at HFZ Capital Group.

Meir has previously reportedly said in bankruptcy court that he had $30 million in liabilities, and $50 to his name.

Page Six has reached out to Meir’s attorney for comment.

Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News

Page

Related posts

Inside Eric McCormack And Janet Holden’s Relationship Before Their Sudden Divorce

BBC Brk News

Gwyneth Paltrow lists luxe Montecito guest house on Airbnb

BBC Brk News

Luke Thomas has made instant Sheffield United impression following Leicester City transfer

BBC Brk News

Leave a Comment