Hospitality vet Richie Akiva was arrested in Nolita on Sunday afternoon and hauled right down to the station and charged with misdemeanors.
We hear Akiva, who based iconic NYC hotspots 1Oak and Up & Down, was pulled over by a cop in an undercover automobile on the nook of Mulberry St. and Prince St. for having tinted home windows.
The membership king — recognized for rubbing elbows with A-listers like Leo DiCaprio, Naomi Campbell and Paris Hilton — was then taken to the ninth precinct when it was found he was driving on a suspended license.
“I used to be shocked to seek out out my license was suspended, and I’m certain will probably be resolved in my favor,” Akiva tells us.
We hear his license was suspended because of an previous unpaid parking ticket.
Based on a supply, he has been charged with one rely of aggravated unlicensed operation within the second diploma, and one rely of an tools violation.
Akiva has been a core member of DiCaprio’s group since they had been often called the P–sy Posse on the ’90s nightlife scene.
He was additionally part of Butter Group — which included eating places and well-liked nightclubs corresponding to Up & Down — with former enterprise associate Scott Sartiano.
The pair ended up in a court docket battle in 2018.
Akiva helped launch unique members-only membership the Ned in June 2022 as its “model and inventive director,” bringing in celebs like DiCaprio, Rihanna, Emily Ratajkowski, G-Eazy and “SNL” comedian Leslie Jones.
However the entrepreneur was out by February 2024, with a supply telling Web page Six there was behind-the-scenes wrangling over cash.
Akiva most lately has been throwing high-end events internationally — together with a New Yr’s Eve celebration in St. Barts — plus an enormous bash following the glamorous amfAR gala in Cannes.
We hear he’s engaged on opening a brand new nightclub downtown.
Web page Six reported in 2023 that he had a falling out with one other enterprise associate, Darren Dzienciol. They now maintain rival bashes throughout Could’s Cannes Movie Pageant.
Akiva is not any stranger in coping with cops. Police confirmed as much as a celebration he threw at tech mogul David Rosenberg’s property within the Hamptons in 2024, after a visitor and a door woman received into an alleged altercation.
DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, NBA star James Harden, Kris Jenner’s beau Corey Gamble and Sports activities Illustrated mannequin Brooks Nader had been at that bash.
In October 2023 Akiva was honored with the “Angel of Mild Award,” at Denise Wealthy’s Angel Ball charity gala.
Simply final month, the nightlife titan was noticed chatting up Mayor Eric Adams’ desk on the ritzy non-public membership, Chez Margaux.
