State tax authorities on Wednesday auctioned off the inventory of a Brooklyn restaurant tied to two convicted fraudsters close to Mayor Adams.
The downtown Brooklyn pizzeria Forno Rosso was seized by the taxman early this month for failing to pay nearly $400,000 in back taxes — and the authorities are determined to get the money back $1 barstool by $1 barstool.
The auction was a new low for Forno Rosso, a once-hopping Italian joint where personal burrata, provola and speck pizza sold for $23. Adams, then Brooklyn borough president, attended the ribbon-cutting opening ceremony in 2014.
The restaurant, according to a lawsuit, was partially controlled by Zhan and Robert Petrosyants, twin brothers who pleaded guilty that same year to a conspiracy charge in connection with a medical billing scheme involving no-fault insurance claims. Adams has defended his longstanding friendship with the brothers, saying that a felony conviction does not mean someone should be “discarded forever.” The Petrosyants twins also have ties to Adams’ top adviser, Frank Carone.
An advertisement for Wednesday’s auction said the “full contents equipment & fixtures of well known pizzeria” would be up for bid.
Eight bar chairs, a brick oven pizza, a La Marzocco cappuccino machine, 25 dining tables, 400 bottles of wine and liquor and 40 cases of beer were among the items on the chopping block, according to the ad.
The eatery was seized by the state because of an outstanding balance of $380,785 in taxes that has accrued since warrants were first issued in 2018, according to authorities.
The Department of Taxation and Finance slapped a “SEIZED” sign on the glass front door, which the restaurant initially covered with a sign that said “closed for renovations.”
The Petrosyants brothers hold an ownership stake in the restaurant, according to a lawsuit filed against them in 2016 by four former business partners that remains pending. They could not be reached for comment.
The restaurant’s principal owner, Akiva Ofshtein, as well as the Department of Taxation and Finance, said the money gotten from the auction would go toward paying off the tax debt. Despite the fiscal importance of the auction, Ofshtein did not attend.
“It would have been hard to watch,” he said.