The owners of an Upper East Side antiques store are being sued by a series of clients who claim they were ripped off and had their heirlooms trashed.
The owners of Sara’s Antiques, on Lexington Ave and E. 73rd St., are facing six lawsuits, a complaint to the police and to the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection about their business selling treasures on consignment.
One unhappy customer even set up an online group to vent anger. Others have given the place just one star on Yelp.
In a series of lawsuits, the antique-owners accuse Sara’s proprietors Sayeh Sassouni Khorshad, and her husband Vahid Peter Khorshad, who goes by Peter, of selling their valuables and keeping the cash themselves, handing back one-off pieces badly damaged, or losing them entirely.
One customer who is suing, Kimberly Taylor, told The Post she aimed to sell a collection of jewelry, art, home décor and furniture, which was appraised at $650,000.
“Peter told me he would be able to start selling things and give me 5- to 7-grand a month minimum, until he sells everything,” she told The Post.
Included in her shiny stash were three bracelets estimated to be worth $47,000 in total, court documents say.
They were an 18 karat white gold bracelet with 12 tapered baguette diamonds weighing 1.05 carats and 234 round diamonds, weighing 4.15 carats, made in Hong Kong and valued at $15,000; a ruby and diamond bracelet, containing 12 tapered baguette diamonds that weigh 1.05 carats and 234 round brilliant-cut diamonds coming in at 4.15 carats, valued at $12,000; and another diamond bracelet, made of 18 karat white gold, featuring 33 baguette diamonds, weighing around 3.19 carats, and 276 round brilliant full-cut diamonds that clock in at 4.15 carats valued at $20,000.
But Taylor says in her suit that the Khorshads “engaged in a pattern of self-dealing and lying” and now her bracelets are missing along with another $100,000 of her treasures.
“Nothing was sold for my benefit,” she told The Post. “It was a betrayal to me and like a joke to them.”
Her attorney William Brewer said, “They [returned] many of her items, but many are missing and many are damaged. $150,000 of her property was lost.”
Oscar Michelen, the attorney for Sara’s Antiques, told The Post, “We deny any fraudulent actions.”
Daniel Roubeni, a producer on Long Island, was so unhappy he created an online group for disgruntled customers.
Roubeni claims to be owed money for the sale of a mid-1800s Louis XIV table, which he has previously had appraised for $50,000. He has not filed a suit.
“Peter sold it in no time for $20,000,” said Roubeni. “He said he could not pay me because he owed money to other people. That was in 2018.”
Both parties agree that other sales went smoothly. Michelen attributed the non-payment to a “financial shortfall caused by the pandemic.”
Another lawsuit, filed on behalf of Nancy Latin-Ryan, claims that that she consigned $420,000 worth of goods to Peter, his wife and a third party; and she also loaned their company $200,000.
According to Latin-Ryan’s attorney James Toner, she “was promised above-market returns on the loan.”
The complaint claims that “the items [are] still retained by defendants” and that she has “sustained damages of $620,000.”
Michelen responded, “We have tried to resolve this. She refuses to take [the goods] back. She wants money over and above what she is owed on her property.”
And a woman who has an apartment just a few blocks from Sara’s Antiques, and asked to be anonymous for security reasons, consigned an array of heirlooms worth, she estimates, $42,0000.
Her antiques include a 72-piece set of Reed & Barton sterling silver, from 1973, valued at $14,500; a 9-pound sterling silver serving platter signed by Dwight D. Eisenhower, which she described as “a family heirloom from the 1940s” with a value of $10,000; and four Tiffany mint julep cups from the 1970s, stamped with the Tiffany signature, which she says are worth approximately $4,000.
They were sold, but Peter Khorshad offered her just $7,500.
She has now asked police in Tuxedo Park, in upstate New York, and the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to investigate. Tuxedo Park Police declined to comment.
“He offered me $7,500 [for everything],” the source told The Post.
“I told him I would accept $30,000. He said he would get back to me. It’s been exhausting.
“He ignores people and eventually they give up. I’m lucky because my apartment is three blocks away from his shop. I’m not giving up.”
Michelen said, “I personally tried to resolve [this] claim. [Peter] is not taking a commission. It’s not a fraud or a crime or against the consignment law.”
Another customer, Janet Rodgers, a retired writer from the Upper East Side, consigned a set of 100-year-old sterling silver chargers made by Gorham to the shop.
Peter offered $6,000 as her cut of the sale. “I said, N.O.; I want $10,000 minimum,” she told The Post.
“That was half of what I thought I could sell them for. He wrote me a check for $5,000 [on September 23 of this year] and promised to give me a second payment of $5,000. I don’t expect to see it.”
Michelen said of the sale: “I’m sure he’ll pay what it is worth.”