Restaurateur accused of scamming MTA with forged lease docs

A businessman who has been running a garage and restaurant at the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Downtown headquarters for 12 years has been accused of forging his rental papers in order to get a good deal on his lease, according to the Daily News. The MTA assumed the leases of other tenants when took over 2 Broadway in 1998. At that time, Georgian-born David Khoukhachvili allegedly backdated a fake lease document so that the agency would be fooled into thinking his Bull and Bear restaurant and basement parking garage were long-time tenants, and were thus entitled to lower rent. Khoukhachvili, who is free on $1 million bail, was paying $13,000 per month with 3 percent increases, according to court papers. [NYDN]