Julian Niccolini, the managing partner of the Four Seasons restaurant, was arrested Wednesday and charged with sexual assault.
Niccolini allegedly molested a 28-year-old woman during a private party at the restaurant, which — for now — is located in Aby Rosen’s Seagram Building, according to the New York Post. The woman is a daughter of one of his associates, the newspaper reported.
If found guilty, Niccolini, 62, could face seven years in jail. He allegedly groped the woman’s breasts and buttocks, sources told the Post, and tried to remove her bra.
Niccolini has said he is not guilty and has his daughter’s support.
“My father would absolutely never harm a young woman,” Marusca Niccolini told reported outside the courthouse, according to the newspaper.
A Four Seasons waitress sued Niccolini in 1991, claiming he used “foul, lewd, obscene” language to proposition her. The suit was resolved in 1992, but the outcome is unknown. [NYP] — Claire Moses