The dapper-dressed owner of the Chelsea Wine store made his second appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday after being arrested for allegedly stealing vintages from his own posh shop.
Michael Gancarz, who was cuffed last Father’s Day at the popular wine store at 60 Ninth Ave., wore a bespoke striped blue suit as he dodged questions from noti.group’s photographer about the bizarre case.
He faces charges for burglary, petit larceny and trespassing, according to court records.
Gancarz was released without bail and is next scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 14.
Chelsea Wine, located across from the Chelsea Market, no longer belongs to Gancarz and his wife Amelia, according to the criminal complaint.
The new owner of the store, Bobby Khorram, told the arresting police officer that Gancarz did not have permission or authority to take items from the store and entered it despite it being locked up, the complaint said.
It remains unclear what items were taken from the store.
Gancarz and his lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
Khorram did not comment.
The 25 year-old business was once located in the Chelsea Market. The couple assumed ownership of it from Amelia’s father, Daniel Barteluce, an architect who designed luxury retail stores around the world.
Gancarz made headlines last year when customers from his wine storage business in Midtown – Chelsea Wine Storage – began complaining that they couldn’t get access to their pricey vintages, as The Post exclusively reported.
Longtime customers couldn’t get anyone on the phone and when they visited the storage facility – which moved out of its former location in the Chelsea Market without informing customers – they were rebuffed.
Photos obtained by The Post last year showed hundreds of cardboard boxes sitting on wooden pallets in the unfinished basement in Midtown.
The storage business was quietly moved to the basement of a former TGI Friday’s off of Times Square at 777 Seventh Ave.
“With no response, I am afraid my wines in storage are gone for good,” a CWS customer posted on Yelp on Oct. 23.
Another posted, “I cannot get them to answer emails or phone calls, and I am extremely worried about my collection…some of my most prized bottles somehow no longer appear in my inventory.”
Gancarz’s has the same landlord at both the store and the storage facility – Michael Shah – who sued him for not paying his rent and initiated eviction proceedings.
The New York State Liquor Authority initiated an investigation last year.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
