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Tag: Denver crime

  • Strip club performers are strip club employees, Denver judge rules

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    Denver news

    The Denver City Auditor’s office ruled earlier this year that two strip clubs were mistreating their employees.

    Inside the Diamond Cabaret, Feb. 15, 2018.

    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    A Denver District Court judge has upheld a ruling that strip club workers have protections under the city’s wage and employment laws, rejecting the companies’ attempt to shut down a city investigation that had resulted in millions of dollars in penalties.

    The ruling follows a Denver Auditor’s Office investigation into four strip clubs that operate in the city. Investigators used newly expanded subpoena powers to attempt to obtain documents from the strip clubs, and issued daily fines when they refused.

    The investigation found hundreds of workers at two strip clubs, Diamond Cabaret and Rick’s Cabaret, had their wages stolen because they were misclassified in order to exempt them from labor laws and forced to pay fees to work. In February, the auditor ordered the strip clubs to pay $14 million in back pay and penalties to those workers, which neither has paid. 

    The clubs subsequently appealed the decision, saying it was a “reckless abuse of power”. 

    The four strip clubs challenged the legality of the investigation, arguing that strip club entertainers are “licensees” and therefore not subject to Denver wage laws. They also alleged other flaws and that a hearing officer had a conflict of interest. 

    Judge Jon J. Olafson issued an order on Nov. 20, affirming two previous decisions from a hearing officer that allowed the investigation and fees to stand. The club’s appeal alleged that the hearing officer overstepped her jurisdiction in multiple ways by allowing the investigation to stand, which Judge Olafson disagreed with. 

    “I’m thrilled the District Court recognized our legal authority to enforce sex workers’ rights. We remain steadfast in doing what’s right for all workers in Denver,” Denver Labor Executive Director Matthew Fritz-Mauer said in a statement. 

    The legal team for the strip clubs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The club owners have appealed to the state Court of Appeals and sued in federal court.

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  • ‘A traumatic experience’: Denver retailers see spike in brazen theft incidents

    ‘A traumatic experience’: Denver retailers see spike in brazen theft incidents

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    DENVER – A group of businesses in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood say they’re seeing a spike in retail theft and must take extra measures to avoid being targeted.

    One of the recent incidents happened at Noemi Boutique at a strip mall in the on the 4700 block of Peoria on Tuesday.

    Owner Noemi Yac said three men and a woman entered her store while it was open, grabbed several items, put them in bags, and then left without paying for any of it.

    Surveillance video captured their images.

    “ [It was] a traumatic experience,” Yac said, in Spanish. “They opened bags and started grabbing belts, hats.”

    Noemi Boutique

    It’s a concerning trend that she says has been impacting her neighbors, too.

    “I’m not the only victim,” she said.

    Next door, at Boost Mobile, employee Leslie Sandoval said they’ve also been impacted.

    “We’ve been noticing the crime rate go up as far as theft,” she said. “It’s gotten definitely worse. They’ll take headphones and leave boxes empty, basically snatching stuff and walking away with it.”

    Sandoval said they’ve had to take additional measures to secure their items.

    “We tape the speakers now, and we leave them empty; we used to have them displayed,” she said, adding that they’ve also increased the number of security cameras.

    Theft at store

    Noemi Boutique

    “We’re busy. This is one of the busiest stores, as you can see. So we don’t have, we don’t have a way to always keep track of what really goes on,” said Sandoval.

    Back at Noemi’s shop, she hired private security after this week’s incident.

    “What happened, happened, but hopefully there will be justice,” she said.

    Other businesses in the strip mall told Denver7 off camera that they are also concerned about the recent uptick in crime.

    The Denver Police Department could not confirm if this specific strip mall will see an increase in patrols but said any business owner can call to request additional patrolling in the area.

    ‘A traumatic experience’: Denver retailers see spike in brazen theft

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    The Follow Up

    What do you want Denver7 to follow up on? Is there a story, topic or issue you want us to revisit? Let us know with the contact form below.

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  • Jay Bianchi, fixture in Denver jam band scene, arrested on sexual assault charges

    Jay Bianchi, fixture in Denver jam band scene, arrested on sexual assault charges

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    Denver police arrested entrepreneur Jay Bianchi this week on suspicion of sexual assault three years after two women in Colorado’s music scene came forward with allegations against the former jam-band bar owner and music booker.

    Bianchi, 55, was booked into the Downtown Detention Center on Tuesday on suspicion of six counts of sexual assault and one count of unlawful sexual contact related to three separate cases, according to the Denver Police Department.

    Two of the alleged incidents occurred around Halloween 2020 and the third happened just last week, according to police.

    Bianchi is accused of three counts of sexual assault, all felonies, on Oct. 31, 2020, in the 700 block of East Colfax Avenue; one count of unlawful sexual contact, a misdemeanor, on Nov. 1, 2020, in the 900 block of West First Avenue; and three counts of felony sexual assault on April 7 in the same block on West First Avenue, according to Denver police.

    Read the full story from our media partners at The Denver Post.

    More crime stories from Denver7

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    Katie Langford, The Denver Post

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  • Fiancée of man killed in I-70 road rage incident happy with shooter’s 22-year sentence

    Fiancée of man killed in I-70 road rage incident happy with shooter’s 22-year sentence

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    DENVER — The fiancée of a man who was killed in a road rage incident on Interstate 70 in July 2022 said she is happy with the 22-year sentence that was handed down to the shooter Tuesday.

    Tamra Holton said she misses the little things from her time with Kevin Piaskowski.

    “It’s just the day-to-day things — coffee and breakfast and movies and walks,” Holton said. “We had gotten engaged a month-and-a-half before he was killed. So we, you know, we were best friends.”

    Piaskowski was on his way home when he was killed during a road rage incident at I-70 and North Quebec Street on July 31, 2022. Prosecutors said the shooter — Jameel James — was driving a stolen vehicle at the time of the incident.

    James, now 18, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to second-degree murder in connection to Piaskowski’s death. He was 17 years old at the time of the shooting. He was sentenced on Tuesday to 22 years in prison.

    Holton said the family was hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

    “Given, like, history and, like, statistics and how juveniles are treated in the system, it’s very unlikely to get anything,” she said. “I think we all went into it expecting the worst, which would have been seven years in a youth facility center. So when we heard 22 years, we were all pretty relieved.”

    In a statement, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said Tuesday that James was “old enough to know what he was doing and must be held accountable.”

    “This was a senseless and completely unprovoked murder on one of Denver’s major highways. Mr. Piaskowski was simply driving his car when he was shot and killed by Jameel James,” said DA McCann, “Although Mr. James was young at the time, he was old enough to know what he was doing and must be held accountable for this tragic event. We agree with the judge’s sentence and hope that it sends a message to young people in Denver that the use of guns to cause injury and death will not be tolerated.”

    Holton said it’s important that she continues speaking out.

    “I think there’s a lot of shootings that have taken place that are with youth and underage people that are, you know, if we would have gotten to trial, he could have walked free depending on how that went,” said Holton, “I just think it’s time for them to start making a change, you know, the justice system and treating them more like adults.”

    Although no amount of jail time can bring Kevin back, the fiancée hopes this can help spark a change.

    “There’s like no justice that will feel that’s ever served. But given the circumstances and entering a plea deal with him guaranteeing time instead of going to trial, we all felt that it was almost closest to the max of the sentencing he could have,” said Holton.

    The Follow Up

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    Kristian Lopez

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