{"id":118369,"date":"2026-01-31T14:32:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T14:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/118369\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T14:32:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T14:32:07","slug":"the-rise-and-baffling-downfall-of-nightlife-king-richie-akiva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/118369\/","title":{"rendered":"The rise and baffling downfall of nightlife king Richie Akiva"},"content":{"rendered":"

In his prime, Richie Akiva could be found most nights holding court at one of his nightclubs<\/a> \u2014 1OAK or Butter or Up & Down, all Page Six fixtures<\/a> in their heyday \u2014 and surrounded by the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jay-Z, Rihanna and Paris Hilton.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t just the club owner. He was the fun-loving guy throwing the party<\/a>. He knew how to make it all super exclusive and keep celebrities happy and feeling protected. He was one of Leo\u2019s best pals. He was even romantically linked to Heidi Klum<\/a> at one point.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day there\u2019s not many people in hospitality that can pick up the phone and call Rhianna or Jay Z \u2014 everyone will pick up his call,\u201d one nightlife insider who knows Akiva well told Page Six.<\/p>\n

In his prime, Richie Akiva was the king of nightlife holding court at one of his clubs like 1OAK or Up & Down with stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Paris Hilton. Penske Media via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The nightlife legend, 46, shocked hospitality insiders when he was arrested last week in connection with the alleged beating of a longtime friend. Obtained by the NY Post<\/p>\n

Which made it all the more shocking<\/a> last week when Akiva, 49, was arrested in connection with the alleged beating of a longtime friend, entertainment exec Michael Morriatti, with a metal pipe.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s down bad right now,\u201d the nightlife insider said of Akiva.<\/p>\n

Leonardo DiCaprio has been a longtime friend of Akiva\u2019s. The two are seen here at the French Open Getty Images<\/p>\n

As Page Six\u2019s Carlos Greer previously reported,<\/a> Akiva and alleged henchman Justin Brown \u2014 said to have been a security guard at Up & Down \u2014 are believed to have entered a Soho home on January 7. While Morriatti slept in bed, he was allegedly hit over the head with a pipe and, according to insiders, was left with a broken nose and injuries to his shoulder and leg.<\/p>\n

It was also reported that Akiva and Brown were accused of threatening Morriatti and making him transfer money via an app \u2014\u00a0allegedly over a dispute involving a painting.<\/p>\n

Akiva, who pleaded not guilty to burglary and assault charges and was released on $50,000 bail, denied the allegations to Page Six.<\/p>\n

Akiva and alleged henchman Justin Brown are believed to have entered a Soho home on January 7 while entertainment executive Michael Morriatti, seen here, slept in bed. He was allegedly hit over the head with a pipe and, according to insiders, was left with a broken nose and injuries to his shoulder and leg. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Akiva pleaded not guilty to burglary and assault charges and was released on $50,000 bail. He denied the allegations to Page Six. BrosNYC \/ BACKGRID<\/p>\n

\u201cRichie fully welcomes and supports a thorough investigation into this matter and is confident that the full truth will prevail,\u201d his representative said.<\/p>\n

Indeed, people in club land find it hard to believe.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the years I\u2019ve known him, I\u2019ve never heard of incidents like this,\u201d another industry source told Page Six. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t sound like him. He\u2019s a good person. I\u2019m as shocked and horrified and just freaked out as much as anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the nightlife insider said Akiva is struggling with other issues,\u00a0like how to stay relevant as he faces an evolving scene \u2014 and turning 50. <\/p>\n

\u201cI genuinely believe that Richie has a huge heart and is a good person,\u201d the nightlife insider told Page Six of Akiva, seen here with Doja Cat. \u201cI think he\u2019s just a little lost at the moment. He\u2019s made a couple of bad choices.\u201d Sansho Scott\/BFA.com \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very charming.\u00a0 He\u2019s the best networking promoter in the world. He knows how to reach those A-List people \u2014 celebrities, models \u2014 and he\u2019s good at keeping a relationship with them,\u201d an industry insider said of Akiva, seen here with Cara Delevingne, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna. Matteo Prandoni\/BFA.com<\/p>\n

\u201cI genuinely believe that Richie has a huge heart and is a good person,\u201d the nightlife insider said. \u201cI think he\u2019s just a little lost at the moment. He\u2019s made a couple of bad choices.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the aughts, few did it better than Akiva and his partners.<\/p>\n

Akiva grew up in Tribeca and attended the private Dwight School on the Upper West Side, befriending the kids of A-listers \u2014 Liv Tyler, Raphael De Niro \u2014\u00a0and hitting the club-kid scene before he got into party promotion.<\/p>\n

Sources say he\u2019s always had a knack for making celebs feel comfortable \u2014\u00a0while never forgetting that they were stars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With his clubs and parties, Akiva \u2014 seen here with Justin Timberlake and Dwyane Wade \u2014 knew how to make it all super exclusive and keep celebrities happy and feeling protected. FilmMagic<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very charming.\u00a0 He\u2019s the best networking promoter in the world. He knows how to reach those A-List people \u2014 celebrities, models \u2014 and he\u2019s good at keeping a relationship with them,\u201d the industry insider said.<\/p>\n

That came in handy in 2002, when he and business partner Scott Sartiano opened Butter, a Soho restaurant that felt like a nightclub and provided a backdrop for the show \u201cGossip Girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2007, Akiva and Sartiano opened 1OAK<\/a> (clever shorthand for one of a kind), which came to define the bottle-service era and looked like the pages of US Weekly come to life: Drake, Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Justin Bieber, Lenny Kravitz, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan could all be found on the ostrich-leather banquettes. Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter celebrated their 2009 World Series victory<\/a> at 1OAK. Matt Harvey infamously partied there<\/a>\u00a0the night before he failed to show up for a Mets game in 2017.<\/p>\n

Then came Up & Down, The Darby, G-Spa.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a very confident person. He doesn\u2019t have any fears.\u00a0He\u2019s got that secret sauce,\u201d the industry insider said of Akiva\u2019s ability to curate a party vibe. Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Akiva with Pharrell Williams and actor LaKeith Stanfield. WireImage<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a very confident person. He doesn\u2019t have any fears.\u00a0He\u2019s got that secret sauce,\u201d the industry insider said of Akiva.<\/p>\n

At its height, Akiva and Sartiano\u2019s Butter Group was reportedly raking in $50 million a year, with hotspots in NYC, London, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Tokyo and Dubai.<\/p>\n

But nightlife is a fickle industry and no one can stay hot forever. And over the past several years, Akiva has had an astonishing number of setbacks.<\/p>\n

In 2018, four years after he had sold his shares in the Butter Group, Sartiano sued Akiva for $15 million<\/a>, alleging Akiva had lied to him \u2014\u00a0claiming 1OAK and Up & Down were money pits and convincing Sartiano to let Akiva buy him out with a series of low-ball payments between 2015 to 2017, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

In 2002, Akiva and business partner Scott Sartiano opened Butter, a Soho restaurant that felt like a nightclub and provided a backdrop for the show \u201cGossip Girl.\u201d In 2018, four years after he had sold his shares in the Butter Group, Sartiano sued Akiva for $15 million, alleging Akiva had lied to him.<\/p>\n

Akvia then sold what had been Sartiano\u2019s shares to Canadian entertainment mogul Daryl Katz for $60 million, the lawsuit alleged. <\/p>\n

Akiva hid his eight-figure transaction at the time because it \u201cwas inconsistent with what [he] was reporting to investors \u2014 that some of the clubs, including 1OAK NYC and Up & Down, were struggling financially and losing money,\u2019\u2019 the suit said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The suit was dismissed last January. <\/p>\n

Without the right business partner, the nightlife insider said, Akiva struggled.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not necessarily a businessman. He wants to show up with celebrities, he wants to party, he wants to curate the room \u2014 he wants to do the fun stuff. He doesn\u2019t want to be in the office, handle paperwork, deal with lawyers,\u201d the insider alleged. \u201cThat\u2019s not his expertise.<\/p>\n

Lindsay Lohan also famously frequented Akiva\u2019s nightclub 1Oak. Hagop Kalaidjian\/BFA \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s OK that some people don\u2019t want to do that. Just hire the people to do that for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also in 2018, Akiva and celebrated chef Marc Forgione announced plans to open the restaurant Davide, an 11,000-square-foot \u201cclubstaurant\u201d in the Meatpacking District. But the project was delayed and eventually fell through during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

A year later, he ventured into fitness with the luxe gym BIA Force in NoHo, but that was short-lived. <\/p>\n

His 1OAK, was evicted from its home in the Meatpacking District in 2022 \u2014\u00a0with Akiva\u2019s 17th Street Entertainment LLC getting hit with a bill for $1.8 million in unpaid rent <\/a>from pandemic lockdowns. (\u201cIt was resolved and the funds were ultimately recouped,\u201d a rep for Akiva told Page Six.\u00a0The court case was dropped in Feb., 2019.)<\/p>\n

Akiva vowed 1OAK \u201ccome back in full force<\/a>,\u201d but it never happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day there\u2019s not many people in hospitality that can pick up the phone and call Rhianna or Jay Z \u2014 everyone will pick up his call,\u201d one nightlife insider who knows Akiva (with Shyne and Jay-Z, above) well told Page Six. Getty Images for 40\/40 Club<\/p>\n

Once buzzy Up & Down, a Rihanna late-night favorite, was another casualty of the pandemic, shuttering in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Private club The Ned, which Akiva launched in 2022 with investor Ron\u00a0Burkle and Soho House founder Nick Jones, lost its liquor license \u2014\u00a0and its luster with celebs like Emily Ratajkowski and DiCaprio \u2014 a year later. In February 2024, Page Six reported that Akiva, who had been the brand and creative director was out over a financial dispute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does an amazing job when he does his crowd \u2014 hip-hop, a Leo. It\u2019s not geared towards what The Ned did,\u201d said the industry source.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the past years, Richie has been bound by a restrictive non-compete following the sale of his half of his company two years before Covid, which prevented him operating in traditional hospitality in any meaningful way or using the 1OAK name,\u201d Akiva\u2019s representative said. <\/p>\n

Akiva grew up in Tribeca and attended the private Dwight School on the Upper West Side, befriending the kids of A-listers \u2014 Liv Tyler (above), Raphael De Niro \u2014\u00a0and hitting the club-kid scene before he got into party promotion. Sara Jaye Weiss<\/p>\n

The nightlife source blamed some problems on Akiva\u2019s tendency to be unresponsive.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t respond to phone calls, he doesn\u2019t respond to emails, he doesn\u2019t respond to texts. You have to chase chase chase \u2014 people who work with him get really tired of that. It feels really disrespectful, even though he doesn\u2019t mean for it to be disrespectful,\u201d the nightlife insider said. \u201cThat\u2019s where Ron Burkle and these business guys have a tough time with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Page Six reached out to Burkle for comment.<\/p>\n

Insiders say Akiva was hoping he would have a big comeback opening a club in the old Canal Room space in Tribeca, but a deal never came to fruition.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Page Six reported Akiva had \u201cbad blood\u201d<\/a> with former Butter Group business partner Darren Dzienciol, leading to the two throwing competing parties at the Cannes Film Festival.<\/p>\n

Private club The Ned, which Akiva launched in 2022 with investor Ron\u00a0Burkle and Soho House founder Nick Jones, lost its liquor license \u2014\u00a0and its luster with celebs like Emily Ratajkowski and DiCaprio \u2014 a year later. In February 2024, Page Six reported that Akiva, who had been the brand and creative director was out over a financial dispute. J. Messerschmidt\/NY Post<\/p>\n

Sources also said that Akiva\u2019s old bread-and-butter just feels stale at this point. Gen Z doesn\u2019t drink as much as older generations and tend to turn their noses up at bottle-service swagger. <\/p>\n

They say Akiva is trying to figure out where he fits into the NYC nightclub landscape now and how to bounce back.<\/p>\n

\u201cRichie\u2019s reputation as one of the most connected figures in nightlife, fashion and culture is well earned, and it\u2019s matched by how personally invested he is in the people around him,\u201d a rep for Akiva told Page Six.<\/p>\n

And sources say Akiva shouldn\u2019t be counted out just yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s down bad right now \u2026 but he\u2019ll bounce back,\u201d the nightlife insider said of Akiva. \u201cHe\u2019s a ferocious\u00a0 guy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In his prime, Richie Akiva could be found most nights holding court at one of his nightclubs \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":118370,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[52096,36270,191,9,2827,56,63,65,64,48792],"class_list":["post-118369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-1oak","tag-celebrity-crimes","tag-celebrity-news","tag-new-york","tag-nightlife","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-richie-akiva"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}