Were Restaurant Co-Owners Buttering Their Bread on Both Sides?

There might be downside to being the "former man snack of Lindsay Lohan, Ashlee Simpson and Ashley Olsen, and the current squeeze of Jamie-Lynn Sigler" as the Post puts it. Scott Sartiano, known to anyone who has read three consecutive issues of US, In Touch or Star in the past few years, is being accused of embezzling money from Butter, the restaurant he co-owns. He, and another co-owner, Simon Akiva, are being sued by the majority owners the restaurant, who are upset about not getting his money back from the initial investment and want $7.5 million. The Post has bits from their lawsuit:

"Sartiano's embezzlement was in addition to a substantial salary; virtually unlimited free food and alcohol for Sartiano and his guests; and unauthorized payments by Butter for substantial personal expenses - all of which continue to the present day," the suit says, listing his car and apartment among those "personal expenses."

"When confronted" about the use of money, the suit says, Sartiano "admitted to having stolen money" and "bragged about how he will get away with it."

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The suit says Sartiano - who's become the public face of the club and a regular on Page Six - is actually only a minority owner. While a company called Bala Associates invested $1.75 million to open the club in 2002, Sartiano, "Butter's self-styled co-owner, invested less than $100,000," the filing says.

Sartiano's lawyer says that the lawsuit is frivolous and only because the only investor named in the lawsuit is having personal financial difficulties. If this goes to court, we're sure Sartiano will claim millions in free publicity for his dating habits and comping his friends, anyway.

And Sartiano graduated Columbia in 1997 - check out this interview with the alumni magazine he did: “I’m sort of a shy guy by nature. And I don’t want to be labeled ‘the nightlife guy.’ Labeling limits you. I eventually want to move on to bigger things.” Like wanting to run for City Council! From man candy to City Council - let's see if it happens!