It’s a far cry from pap shots with A-list celebs at his Met gala after parties. Richie Akiva’s latest close up is from jail.
The mugshot of the one-time owner of celeb haunts like 1Oak and Up and Down mugshot has been released, days after he surrendered to police for allegdly attacking a longtime friend on Jan. 7.
Celebrity bail bondsman Ira Judelson posted Akiva’s $50,000 bail and also helped secure bond for his alleged accomplice, Justin Brown, a source told Page Six.
The nightlife impresario turned himself in last week after he and Brown, whom sources describe as his “henchman” and is believed to have served as security at at least one of Akiva’s venues, were accused of beating entertainment exec Michael Morriatti with a metal pipe. Akiva pled not guilty in Manhattan Criminal Court on Jan. 21, according to police sources.
Akiva contacted Page Six a day before turning himself in and claimed that Morriatti had wronged him.
He claimed that he wanted to sound the alarm about his former pal Morriatti to prevent other people from getting the same alleged treatment. But Morriatti blasted Akiva as “a liar” when we reached out for comment.
“Whatever he’s saying, it’s not real. He’s lying,” he told us.
Akiva hired a crisis management pr firm, which told us in a statement, “Richie fully welcomes and supports a thorough investigation into this matter and is confident that the full truth will prevail.”
The one-time nightlife king of New York City has been working his way back to the top of the hospitality chain since 1Oak closed in 2022. He has since lent his expertise to help launch exclusive member’s only clubs, such as the Ned, but his time there was also short lived.
Read the full article here
