We thought there was something fishy about the story. Two weeks ago, headlines were made about a "$20M" "Sag Harbor" $5K a night rental home was trashed by a Wall Streeter holding a benefit for Last Chance Animal Rescue. The owners were shocked and outraged, and vowed to sue the partygiver, Brett Barna (who has since been fired from his Wall Street job), for $1M.
As we pointed out, the "$20M" home (in Noyack, not Sag Harbor) was worth more like $4M, and the owners had been served a Notice of Lis Pendens in May, meaning they’re in default and may be foreclosed on. (Although that notice seems to be gone from Zillow.) Someone who’s in default on their mortgage might have just a wee bit of a motive for a $1M lawsuit. But that’s hardly the biggest problem for owner Omar Amanat. The chairman of the Aman Resorts Group is now in jail on fraud charges. He says he has only $2,700 in the bank and can’t make bail.
Brett Barna was on Good Day New York and says that Amanat is lying and shaking him down. He says no artwork was stolen and no concrete was damaged, and he had permission to throw the party. "We threw a very professional event. It was an event with adults. We may have broken a $200 pool chair," said Barna.
Stay tuned.
- Imprisoned Hamptons home owner lying for money, says event organizer [Fox 5 NY]
- Hamptons ‘Sprayathon’ Partygoers Trash an Airbnb [CH]