The twin brothers were accused of conspiring with several other men to launder the proceeds of phony insurance claims through shell companies. Instead, Marianna Shahmuradyan - with whom Robert has several children - is on the license, according to New York State Liquor Authority records. Waiters refer to Robert and Zhan Petrosyants as the owners, though they are both prohibited from holding the restaurant’s liquor license because of felony convictions. “He visits venues in every borough and gets energy from being around New Yorkers - and is at work bright and early every morning as everyone can see,” he wrote in an email responding to questions from The Times. Adams “an unabashed champion of New York’s nightlife industry” at a time when the sector is struggling to recover from the pandemic. Pearson left the casino job after The Times disclosed his dual roles. Pearson to retain his job as a vice president at the city’s only casino - a move experts said was ethically questionable. Adams put his longtime friend, Timothy Pearson, on the payroll of a nonprofit controlled by the mayor for an undisclosed salary, while allowing Mr. Bernard Adams was then redirected to an adviser role with a $1 salary. Adams could not give his brother Bernard a $210,000 job as head of the mayor’s security detail. The Conflicts of Interest Board ruled that Mr. He later said he paid for his seat but did not provide documentation. After pledging to pay his own way on a trip to Puerto Rico, he acknowledged flying on an entrepreneur’s private jet. Adams has occasionally waded into murky ethical waters. Adams’s frequent appearances at and promotion of the restaurant have boosted its reputation in nightlife columns and social media. The 40-year-old twin brothers, who had previously operated businesses in Brooklyn, launched their Manhattan restaurant just weeks after the mayor was elected. Adams’s allegiance to La Baia stands out, as does his history of supporting the businesses run by the brothers, who pleaded guilty to felony charges in 2014 after being accused in a money-laundering scheme and have a long record of unpaid tax bills and lawsuits. de Blasio spent leisurely mornings at the Park Slope Y.M.C.A. Lots of political figures have their favorite haunts. “Of course, there is nothing wrong with talking city business at a restaurant,” Mr. Adams conducts both business and personal meetings at La Baia. Maxwell Young, a spokesman for the mayor, said Mr. Adams has been greeted by a waiter asking if he will have his usual, the branzino, which is listed on the menu for $55. His security detail, including his brother Bernard, eats at a separate table on some evenings.Īlthough he sometimes describes himself as a vegan, Mr. The mayor sometimes stays for three or more hours, and often he is the only remaining guest as the staff waits well after the restaurant’s posted 10 p.m. The restaurant’s website describes the venue as coastal Italian it offers a seafood-heavy menu in an elegant white-tablecloth dining room. La Baia opened late last year along a subdued stretch of West 52nd Street. The mayor’s pattern also raises questions about who gets access to him. But the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board advises public officials not to accept any valuable gifts that are given to them because of their positions. Public servants are explicitly barred from accepting gifts worth $50 or more from city vendors - a rule that would not apply to La Baia and the Petrosyants brothers. If the mayor has failed to pay for his meals, he could have violated the city’s ethics rules, watchdogs said. But the spokesman declined to provide receipts, and the restaurant’s operators did not respond to emails seeking any documents that would support the mayor’s claim. In response to questions from The Times, a spokesman said the mayor personally pays the bill to the restaurant monthly. At La Baia, where entrees range in price from about $30 to over $60, Times reporters never observed him paying for his meals.
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