Anna Tchorbadjiev: Model sues NYC bar for $1.5M for allegedly getting drugged and conned by trans woman
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: An NYC model claims that employees at a well-known Lower East Side bar drugged her and conned her out of $1,500. She also alleges an attractive transgender woman who allegedly helped the restaurant staff pull the trick was also involved. In a stunning new lawsuit submitted to the New York Supreme Court, Manhattan resident Anna Tchorbadjiev made the allegations and named Madison Square Garden, the bar's previous owner, as a defendant. The amount of damages sought is $1.5 million.
The 25-year-old Tchorbadjiev, who has modeled for magazines including Harper's Bazaar and Glamour, is alleged to have been poisoned and robbed earlier this year by a con artist with the help of business personnel, according to the lawsuit filed by her counsel. The brunette, identified as Angela Acosta de Mastronardi in court papers, is said to have accompanied Tchorbadjiev to the bar during a night of drinking before the model unexpectedly fell ill after taking a first sip of her espresso martini.
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What did the suit claim?
The lawsuit continues by alleging that the brunette, de Mastronardi, followed the model Anna Tchorbadjiev out of the restaurant and then took her to another pub operated by the same individuals for "water" while stealing her credit cards. After realizing she had been billed more than $1,500 while only having two drinks, she confronted the woman. The police later informed her that de Mastronardi had a history of pulling similar scams when she was a man.
Who is Anna Tchorbadjiev?
Tchorbadjiev who goes under the name Anna Alimani, has nearly 500k followers on Instagram and is a successful model who recently appeared on the covers of L'Officiel India, Glamour Bulgaria, Harper's Baazar Bulgaria, and many other publications last year. She is also a businesswoman, which is evident in her numerous amusing and aesthetically pleasing posts. In addition to her lucrative modeling career, Anna has a degree in business administration from Purdue University and works as a realtor in Manhattan, selling luxury houses. She is a woman of both beauty and intelligence. She is also a successful businesswoman, having launched her own line of Anna Swimwear, appeared in Miami Swim Week, and made a few expectedly increasing TV appearances, as per Models.
'I had no reason to get suspicious of this person'
"Thank God I'm OK," Tchorbadjiev, who goes by the modeling name Anna Alimani, said to the New York Post on Saturday, April 22. The claim comes just weeks after the bar, which was a member of the renowned Tao Group of restaurants, was sold to Mohari Hospitality for $550 million. "We were all chilling." She recalled how she was introduced to de Mastronardi by a friend at the upscale Baccarat Hotel higher up in Midtown and, at the time, did not even realize she was transsexual. "It seemed very normal." She recalled how the young woman, who frequently posts pictures of herself modeling on social media, was dressed in a Versace luxury outfit and cordial right away. "I had no reason to get suspicious of this person."
'She offered to pay and then her card declined'
However, things quickly turned around when the trans woman proposed that the women spend their night out at Little Sister, one of the numerous upscale clubs owned by the restaurant company. Tchorbadjiev reportedly said that De Mastronardi volunteered to pay when the group arrived, but staff members informed her that her card had been rejected. Tchorbadjiev, a working model, kindly put over her card instead, but after taking a few drinks of her espresso martini, she suddenly became terribly ill. "She offered to pay and then her card declined," said Tchorbadjiev, a veteran of both Paris and New York fashion weeks. "I was like, 'Let me pay,'" she explained before pulling out her American Express Black card.
'I had to push her out of the elevator'
Tchorbadjiev's lawyers reportedly said that she closed the tab and departed after becoming ill, with de Mastronardi, reportedly only pretending to be an adoring friend, following close behind. According to the suit, the two got into a cab, where de Mastronardi suggested stopping 'for water' at another Tao-owned restaurant, Lavo on 58th Street. The moment Tchorbadjiev looked at her wallet, she discovered her credit cards were missing. She approached her new friend right away to discuss the missing goods.
The alleged con artist denied having anything to do with the missing cards, which prompted Tchorbadjiev to seize her "by the hair" and demand she give them back. She claimed that de Mastronardi, a brunette with a petite build who began transitioning around 2015 and formerly resided in Florida, ultimately produced the items and placed them in the model's purse as a result of the outburst. De Mastronardi allegedly followed the model at that moment but was eventually dissuaded when Tchorbadjiev forcibly escorted her away, according to the model. "I was like, 'No way, bitch, you’ll rob me blind.' I had to push her out of the elevator,' she recalled.
De Mastronardi's history of scams
But it wasn't until she broke away from the alleged con artist that she saw two different credit card charges from Little Sister that she hadn't noticed before. Both were classified as tips, with one set at $500 and the other at $1,000. As soon as Tchorbadjiev informed the NYPD of the allegations and the previous incident, a detective informed her that de Mastronardi was transgender and had a history of such scams in New York, Vegas, and Miami. According to the investigator, she was informed that no charges have ever been made in connection with de Mastronardi's alleged misdeeds and that more scammer victims have reportedly been reluctant to come forward owing to embarrassment. "That’s how people get away with this," stated Alimani’s attorney, Steve Legum. "If you’re not going to complain, they’re not going to take these people out of circulation." Legum is asking for $1.5 million from Madison Square Garden Entertainment on behalf of his client, stating that bar staff were complicit in de Mastronardi's scheme and ultimately divided the stolen money.