Zar nightclub: A downtown hot spot in more ways than one

Robert Hannah was being watched.

Not at Zar nightclub in downtown Akron, where he became sole owner in February, according to state liquor officials.

But at an apartment on Magnolia Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls and at a house about 7 miles away on Kenilworth Drive in Northwest Akron.

An FBI-led task force suspected Hannah, 34, was a drug dealer, and law enforcement moved in with search warrants May 4.

At the Cuyahoga Falls apartment, investigators seized what they suspected was marijuana, numerous pills, a semiautomatic rifle, a handgun and other evidence indicative of “large-scale drug trafficking,” according to court records.

At the Kenilworth house, investigators seized what appeared to be cocaine and methamphetamine, digital scales, a money counter, multiple handguns and more than two dozen empty kilo wrappers, packaging used for large drug shipments before they are cut into small packages for sale on the streets, court records said.

Hannah was arrested the same day the properties were searched, which may have solved problems in the residential neighborhoods where investigators said Hannah sold drugs.

Yet business — and trouble — continued at Zar.

Fights, gunfire, littering, rowdy drunks, thefts, even a homicide.

Akron police connected them all this year to the largest club at the south end of downtown.

Manager responds

Kameron Alexander, who most recently managed Zar, said during a brief interview last week that was unfair.

Zar, he said, was unfairly blamed for anything bad that happened downtown even though it hired off-duty Akron police and had a strict dress code trying to prevent trouble.

No sweatsuits, no baggie pants, no hoodies. If you had belt loops on pants, you had to wear a belt to get through Zar’s doors, Alexander said.

None of it mattered, he said.

Alexander said Zar was up to date with its rent payments, but the property management company that handled Zar’s lease refused to extend it beyond October after speaking with city officials.

What happens next with the large space at the prominent corner of South Main and East Exchange streets is not clear.

Also not clear is what happens with Zar.

Alexander said he had hoped to remodel and rename the club at the same location before the lease expired.

Now he said he would like Zar to re-emerge and be successful elsewhere in Akron.

Alexander said he knew nothing about Hannah’s legal woes and pointed out that they were not connected to Zar.

Hannah in October pleaded guilty to drug and weapon charges in federal court, records show. A judge is scheduled to sentence Hannah in January.

When asked who owns Zar in the wake of Hannah’s arrest, Alexander’s phone connection dropped.

Original owner

Zar was originally the brainchild of Antonio “Jeff” Lorenzo, a Palestinian immigrant who has run into legal trouble of his own in recent years.

Although he is no longer listed as an owner, some familiar with Zar said privately that Lorenzo still appeared to have some role at the club until it closed.

Lorenzo, who once went by Jafar Abukhaled, moved to Northeast Ohio to study at Kent State University and soon became an Akron entrepreneur who shaped some of Akron’s nightlife.

Besides Zar, court records show that Lorenzo also owned Lorenzo Entertainment, which operated the now-defunct Posh and LUX nightclubs catercorner to Zar on West Exchange.

He also owned Crystal Entertainment, which operated the defunct strip clubs Platinum Horse Cabaret and Mars Men’s Club, both on Waterloo Road.

In 2012, a federal grand jury indicted Lorenzo on 50 criminal counts of tax evasion, saying he under-reported income of about $746,000, resulting in a tax loss of about $205,000.

Prosecutors said Lorenzo directed a bookkeeper to keep two sets of records which intended to hide that he paid several of his employees a portion of their wages in cash.

Lorenzo did not withhold income taxes on the cash wages, and did not pay the taxes that he owed as a result, defrauding the U.S. government.

Plea deal

In November 2013, Lorenzo struck a deal in the federal case, pleading guilty in federal court to several counts of the indictment.

Several people wrote character letters on Lorenzo’s behalf, saying he routinely helps the poor and often employs those in trouble, sometimes paying their legal defense so they could start a new chapter of their lives.

Lorenzo was sentenced to two years of probation, 120 hours of community service, a $20,000 fine and had to pay about $7,900 in restitution to the IRS.

In a separate but related case in Summit County Common Pleas Court, Lorenzo cut a deal in June 2014 and pleaded guilty to a felony charge of failing to remit Ohio sales tax.

Among other things, he was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence and placed on community control. He was also ordered to repay $72,688 in unpaid sales tax to the state of Ohio and $13,447 of employee withholding tax.

One of Lorenzo’s attorneys said in court records that Lorenzo planned to get out of the bar business and concentrate on real estate.

The lawyer didn’t point it out, but Ohio law says officials “may refuse to issue any permit to or refuse to renew any permit of any person convicted of any felony that is reasonably related to the person’s fitness to operate a liquor permit business in this state.”

State liquor officials said their records show that Lorenzo sold his membership interest in the limited liability company behind Zar in August 2012.

Three other men have since been listed as having an ownership, a spokeswoman said. And Hannah, who is awaiting sentencing on federal drug and weapons charges, was listed as the sole owner since February.

Lorenzo has opened a real estate business: Lorenzo Properties.

When a reporter called there this week for Lorenzo, a woman who answered the phone said he had nothing to say.

Before a reporter could ask a question, the woman hung up.

A safe downtown

Zar’s demise this week was welcome by some of its business neighbors, who blamed Zar for forcing them to close early or to hire extra security

In September, city officials sent a letter to Zar threatening to shut down the bar under nuisance laws if trouble didn’t cease.

“In the past several months, there has been a flurry of nuisance/criminal activity involving your property including, numerous fights, shots fired, a homicide, littering, drunken rowdy behavior, criminal damaging and thefts from vehicles,” the letter said. “This continued criminal activity has caused police resources to be diverted from other parts of the city to specifically handle issues relating to the operation of the Zar Nightclub.”

A month later, an Akron police officer shot two Cuyahoga County men — one with a gun who police say threatened a crowd that spilled out of Zar at closing time, and a second who police said picked up that man’s weapon and fired a shot at officers.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a prepared statement this week that the city works hard daily to ensure all neighborhoods are safe, including downtown which he said will have a “significant rebirth” in the next few years with new housing and retail, along with other projects.

Responsible nightlife is one aspect of a thriving urban core, he said, and the city plans to work closely with property owners and businesses “to secure a shared commitment to safety and vibrancy.”

“Downtown Akron is safe,” Horrigan said, “and we will do everything needed to keep it that way.”

Beacon Journal reporters Katie Byard and Doug Livingston contributed to this report. Amanda Garrett can be reached at 330-996-3725 or agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com.