Former local club owner faces charges

Jesse Chiavaroli arrested in B.C. last week; had been working at Chuck’s Burger Bar in Victoria

A former Hamilton nightclub owner facing six counts of sexual assault here has now been arrested by the Victoria Police Department (VicPD) in connection with “sexualized violence” associated to a bar in that city.

Investigators in the special victims unit made the arrest in British Columbia on Friday on the Lower Mainland, according to a VicPD news release. While the statement didn’t name the accused, The Spectator has previously confirmed he is Jesse Chiavaroli, 42. Hamilton court documents obtained by The Spectator show a home address for Chiavaroli in Burnaby.

Chiavaroli is alleged to have sexually assaulted six women who once worked for him at a series of clubs he owned in Hamilton and the Niagara region.

He worked in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines from 2009 to 2015, at one time operating a St. Catharines bar called Cache.

He worked in Hamilton from 2015 to 2018. He was a partowner of the now-defunct Baroque nightclub on John Street South. And he ran three bars in Hess Village — Ora, Trust and Heist — before skipping town in 2018, leaving behind serious allegations and a mountain of unpaid debt.

Court documents include dates and locations related to the charges: June 20, 2018 in Hamilton; March 21, 2016 in Hamilton; between Nov. 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2015 in Hamilton; between Aug. 1, 2015 and Feb. 1, 2016 in Hamilton; between July 1, 2015 and July 19, 2015 in Hamilton “and elsewhere in the province of Ontario”; between July 1, 2015 and Sept. 1, 2015 in a place not named.

A publication ban protects the identities of the victims.

Five survivors reported Chiavaroli to Hamilton police, while another reported her allegations to the OPP. Niagara Regional Police were also investigating Chiavaroli. One victim reported Chiavaroli to Hamilton police years ago, police previously told The Spectator. An investigation was done at the time, but no charges were laid.

After The Spectator published an investigation in February 2021 into numerous sexual violence allegations concerning Chiavaroli, Hamilton police launched its own probe. On June 2, 2021, Chiavaroli was arrested by the RCMP in Burnaby, B.C., and brought back to Hamilton to appear in court. He was released on bail and his case continues to make its way through the Ontario Court of Justice.

Police say some of the women who came forward were inspired to do so because of The Spectator’s stories.

The Spec told the story of one woman who alleged Chiavaroli drugged and sexually assaulted her. It also reported on a former employee who filed a lawsuit against Chiavaroli, alleging he slapped her backside so hard she needed surgery.

Another woman said he had a history of using the bars and nightclubs he operated as a place to meet women and have sex with them.

Those allegations echo the pattern of behaviour underlying the rape accusations about Chiavaroli in Victoria, which first surfaced in January 2021 on an Instagram site called Survivor Stories.

“VicPD reached out to the operators of the social network page and invited those with information to come forward,” says the police news release. “Numerous people came forward with information to support the investigation.”

The Spectator has tried repeatedly to contact Chiavaroli for nearly a year, with no success.

Unlike in Ontario where police lay sexual assault charges, in B.C. it is the Crown attorney that does that. So while the VicPD has said it has made an arrest and the suspect faces “several recommended charges of sexual assault,” the exact charges are not yet known.

The VicPD said the suspect has been released with a court date and conditions that include not contacting the survivors.

Chiavaroli was working as a bartender at Chuck’s Burger Bar in downtown Victoria. The restaurant has its roots on Locke Street here in Hamilton before it suddenly closed shop and moved out west.

After the allegations about Chiavaroli surfaced in Victoria, protesters gathered outside Chuck’s and called for a boycott. Chuck’s publicly announced it was firing Chiavaroli and the bar has since closed.

Survivors are encouraged to report to the Hamilton Police Service by contacting the sexual assault unit (non-emergency line) at 905-540-5553 or hamiltonpolice.on.ca to file an online report. You can also provide information anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1800-222-8477, or submitting anonymous tips online at crimestoppershamilton.com.

FOR HELP

SACHA (Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton and Area): 905-5254162

McMaster University Sexual Violence Prevention and Response

Office: svpro@mcmaster.ca

SAVIS (Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services of Halton): 905-875-1555

Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Care Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences: 905-521-2100 ext. 73557.