Susan Clairmont: Former Hamilton nightclub owner facing sexual assault investigation
A former Hamilton nightclub owner is under investigation by police in British Columbia after more than a dozen women posted allegations of sexual assault on social media.
The Victoria Police Department is investigating Jesse Chiavaroli - who also goes by Jesse Chaves - for sexualized violence."
No charges have been laid and the allegations have not been tested in court.
Chiavaroli once owned nightclubs in Hamilton, including Baroque, Ora, Heist and Trust. Before that he owned Cache, a bar in St. Catharines.
The Spectator's attempts to reach Chiavaroli by phone and email have been unsuccessful.
On social media and in mainstream media interviews, women allege Chiavaroli plied them with alcohol, spiked their drinks with drugs and sexually assaulted them.
The Spectator has spoken with a Hamilton woman who also alleges Chiavaroli sexually assaulted her.
In a highly unusual public appeal, Victoria police issued a media release on Feb. 1 asking anyone wishing to report incidents of sexualized violence associated to a downtown Victoria bar and grill" to contact investigators. They have since said the person being investigated was an employee of the restaurant.
Police made their appeal the day after a Victoria-based Instagram account dedicated to the stories of sexual assault survivors began posting allegations of Chiavaroli's multiple accounts of sexual assault and predatory behaviour." A dozen women initially shared their accounts. Most say they met him while they were customers at the restaurant.
There was a large online response. Several women posted that they were also survivors of assaults by Chiavaroli, and hundreds of commenters called for criminal charges and a boycotting of the restaurant.
Victoria police have not publicly identified Chiavaroli, but The Spectator has verified he is the subject of what police describe as an active and ongoing" investigation by the department's special victims unit.
A team of investigators is sifting through numerous" calls from Victoria - and Hamilton, says Det. Sgt. Jan Malinosky. We're overwhelmed right now."
She says the complaints range from sexual harassment to sexual assault.
Malinosky asks women in Hamilton who want to speak to police to contact the Hamilton Police Service because allegations must be investigated in the jurisdiction in which they occurred.
The Hamilton Police Service says it is aware of the investigation by Victoria police and encourages anyone wishing to report a crime that took place in Hamilton or to share information to contact them.
Chiavaroli, who is in his 40s, has been bartending at Victoria's Chuck's Burger Bar - which has its roots on Locke Street in Hamilton.
When the restaurant closed shop here in 2015, owner Chris Preston moved his operation to Victoria.
The Spec has tried - over several days - to call Chuck's Burger Bar, however, there is no answer.
Protesters, many of whom said they work in the restaurant industry, marched outside the eatery on the evening of Feb. 2. Media in Victoria report Chuck's has been closed since the allegations broke.
The restaurant has said on social media that it fired a staff member after learning of numerous allegations of sexual assault against him. It also said he had been reprimanded once before after complaints were made. Chuck's has not publicly named the employee.
However, another Victoria restaurant where Chiavaroli previously worked posted a message on Facebook:
As unsettling allegations have begun to surface today, we would like to take the time to acknowledge that Jesse Chiavaroli was a part-time employee of The Monkey Tree Pub from March of 2019 to March of 2020. Although we are not aware of any allegations made by staff or guests against Jesse during his employment with us, we would like to urge anyone who ever felt victimized or harassed by Jesse in any way to contact (Victoria police) immediately."
To contact Hamilton police, call 905-540-5553. To provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your anonymous tips online at CrimeStoppersHamilton.com.
Susan Clairmont is a Hamilton-based crime, court and social justice columnist at The Spectator. Reach her via email: sclairmont@thespec.com