Nir Meir Freed From Rikers Once Again

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Nir Meir is out of Rikers yet again.

The former HFZ Capital Group exec charged with spearheading an $86 million fraud scheme has posted bail and will hunker down in an undisclosed New York City apartment. Meir posted the $1 million bond on Friday through a bail bondsman.

The hearing was quick and to the point. The bondman said a property worth $1.7 million with a $400,000 mortgage was pledged as collateral, according to a transcript of the proceedings. It is not clear who posted the collateral to support Meir’s bond.

New York Judge Ann Thompson approved the bond. Meir is required to wear two ankle monitors from the bail bonds company. She also directed Meir to immediately head to the New York sheriff’s office to get an electronic monitoring device.

“You have to go today. And then we will see you in court on 7/23,” said Thompson.

“Yes, your Honor, thank you,” said Meir.

Meir was arrested in Miami in early 2024 and spent a year on Rikers after he was unable to post bail of $5 million cash, $7.5 million insurance bond and $10 million partially secured bond. Meir has pleaded not guilty to the charges brought by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

Earlier this year, Meir’s previous attorney and the Manhattan D.A. agreed to lower his insurance bond to $1 million.

Meir posted the $1 million bond in March and was released, only to land back on Rikers weeks later. The reasons still remain unclear; the judge closed the courtroom to the public and sealed at least one transcript that may have the answers.

But Meir’s return to Rikers appears to stem from triggering an alarm on his ankle monitoring device. Meir ventured out to 1,500 square feet, past his designated confines of 700 square feet. Meir also allegedly readjusted the strap on the ankle monitor while outside.

Meir hired a new attorney and argued for a new bail package. A bail bondsman testified that Meir’s ankle monitor issues were not of major concern. Thompson agreed to lower Meir’s insurance bond back to $1 million. His cash bail remains at $5 million.

At a June court appearance, the judge warned Meir not to leave his apartment under any circumstances.

“To be clear here, please, don’t email me about ‘Oh, he has to go here or he has a sick mother and he has to go.’ I am not interested,” said Thompson.

Meir is out of prison for now, but he’s far from free of his legal problems. Prosecutors charged Meir with grand larceny and defrauding the city out of $15 million in taxes. The Manhattan D.A. alleges Meir moved hundreds of millions of dollars out of accounts designated for HFZ’s real estate projects, only to return the money with significant shortfalls. One of these projects was the XI, a twisting condo project on Manhattan’s High Line.

Most of the other defendants in the sweeping fraud scheme have pleaded guilty but avoided jail time. Thus far, Meir has refused any plea deal.

“I am asking you to continue to have conversations concerning potential dispositions for this plea, for these cases. Given that there are a lot of cases, you are facing seven to 21 [years] on each of these cases,” said Thompson.

Meir was fired from the Manhattan prolific luxury condo developer HFZ Capital in late 2020. He spent the next two years battling creditors and dodging process servicers, while dropping millions of dollars on gold, strip clubs, expensive wine and hotel stays, in addition to a $150,000-a-month rental in Miami Beach.

In February 2024, Meir filed for bankruptcy. He claimed to be penniless. Meir has argued the money for his lavish purchases came from his ex-wife, Ranee Bartolacci, but Bartolacci said she was unaware of Meir’s legal problems and her own, including a $13 million judgment she alleges Meir put under her name. Shortly after Meir filed for bankruptcy, he was arrested at the 1 Hotel South Beach and extradited to New York.

Meir’s attorney did not return a request to comment.