Alleged scam artist accused of hiding assets; Wedding videographer ordered to stay in jail until hea
Byline: Susan SpencerDUDLEY - A wedding videographer accused of scamming more than 92
couples has allegedly continued his fraudulent schemes, despite court
orders, according to a lawyer representing four couples who didn't
receive their videos after paying deposits of up to $2,000.
Jesse J. Clark, 29, of 203 North Sturbridge Road, Charlton, former
owner of SureShot Videography and SureShot Portraits LLC in Millbury,
was ordered by Judge Timothy Bibaud Friday in Dudley District Court to
remain in the Worcester County Jail until a pretrial hearing on related
criminal charges March 29.
Mr. Clark faces criminal and civil charges in district court.
His initial hearing Friday was for violation of probation ordered
March 4 in Worcester's Central District Court after he admitted to
sufficient facts that he knocked down a television cameraman outside the
Millbury police station in June.
He has been held without bail since Monday for violating probation,
following an arrest on Sunday in Charlton after he allegedly violated a
restraining order sought by his estranged wife, Veronica A. Clark, and
smashed the lights and windows out of his mother's Nissan Xterra.
He allegedly vandalized the vehicle because he was angry about a
newspaper column that appeared about him in the Sunday Telegram.
At the probation hearing Friday, Mr. Clark's lawyer, Thomas W.
Brousseau, said that Mr. Clark has serious mental health issues and
takes medication for bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression, which he
has not been given in jail.
"Any prolonged detention will affect his mental health,"Mr. Brousseau said.He added that Mr. Clark's father, Gary Clark, indicated he
didn't want to pursue charges against his son for vandalizing
property, and that Veronica Clark had said she was the cause of the
restraining-order violation.
Shortly after the criminal hearing Friday, a civil hearing against
Mr. Clark to determine payments to an aggrieved couple was also
continued until March 29.
An arrest warrant issued for Mr. Clark by Dudley District Court on
Feb. 26, when he did not show up, was served Friday at court by a deputy
sheriff.
Nicholas P. Frye, a Boston lawyer seeking payment of more than
$19,000 in a civil judgment on behalf of his client, Michael Smith, told
the judge that Mr. Clark's scams were "premeditated, thought
out and thorough" and that they have continued long after charges
were filed last year.
Mr. Frye said that Mr. Clark has been putting his assets in his
father's name to avoid paying civil judgments and penalties. He
claimed to have evidence that more than $40,000 worth of video equipment
belonging to Jesse Clark has been locked in a storage unit paid for by
Gary Clark.
Despite a preliminary injunction issued in January by Suffolk
Superior Court Judge Judith Fabricant prohibiting Mr. Clark from
engaging in videography or wedding-related services and from accepting
consumer deposits for any kind of business, Mr. Clark has allegedly
moved his wedding video scam to Florida, Las Vegas and elsewhere, where
as recently as January he operated the Wedding Avenue under the alias
Michael Collins.
"It's important today that an order be placed to pay
these judgments," Mr. Frye told the judge.
He said he had an affidavit from Mrs. Clark's testimony in
Worcester Probate and Family Court that Mr. Clark has spent money on
214elaborate dates and lavish trips to Chicago and Las Vegas, with
$500-a-night hotel rooms.
"The moral of the story is, he's had access to these
assets," Mr. Frye said.
Mr. Clark testified Friday that he couldn't get money from his
bank account because his accounts have been frozen under a temporary
restraining order requested in January by Attorney General Martha
Coakley. The attorney general's lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior
Court, seeks more than $75,000 in restitution plus civil penalties and
the full recovery of all event footage.
Farrah and Clayton Chiavaroli or Worcester, who never received thevideo package they paid Mr. Clark $1,600 for to record their April 14,2012, wedding at Mechanics Hall, attended Friday's hearing."We just want our footage," Mrs. Chiavaroli said after
the hearing. "We even had footage from our honeymoon which we gave
him to edit in."
Mr. Chiavaroli said the first time he showed up to get his video at
SureShot's Millbury studio, in May 2012, he was told to come back
in a few days.
When he returned, he said, the business was shuttered and calls
weren't returned.
The couple had concerns before the wedding when they heard from a
friend who had allegedly been scammed by Mr. Clark, but felt reassured
when two subcontracted videographers showed up.
"I'd give him $10,000 to have our speeches, our first
dance ...," Mr. Chiavaroli said.
The Chiavarolis said they plan to file a complaint with the
attorney general's office.
Mr. Frye said in an interview that based on Mr. Clark's delays
in paying child support for his two young daughters, "The only way
he's going to pay anything is if he's afraid he'll be
locked up."
He said, "His plan is to get all these judgments and file
bankruptcy. He missed that day in law school where when you get a
judgment as a result of fraud, it's nondischargeable.
"I'll be damned if I let him get away with this because
he thinks he's a genius."
Contact Susan Spencer at susan.spencer@telegram.com. Follow her on
Twitter @SusanSpencerTG.
ART: PHOTOS
PHOTOG: T&G Staff/PAUL KAPTEYN
CUTLINE: (1) Videographer Jesse J. Clark appears in Dudley District
Court on Friday. (2) Worcester couple Clayton and Farrah Chiavaroli
listen to proceedings in Dudley District Court. They still haven't
received the video from their wedding in April 2012.
couples has allegedly continued his fraudulent schemes, despite court
orders, according to a lawyer representing four couples who didn't
receive their videos after paying deposits of up to $2,000.
Jesse J. Clark, 29, of 203 North Sturbridge Road, Charlton, former
owner of SureShot Videography and SureShot Portraits LLC in Millbury,
was ordered by Judge Timothy Bibaud Friday in Dudley District Court to
remain in the Worcester County Jail until a pretrial hearing on related
criminal charges March 29.
Mr. Clark faces criminal and civil charges in district court.
His initial hearing Friday was for violation of probation ordered
March 4 in Worcester's Central District Court after he admitted to
sufficient facts that he knocked down a television cameraman outside the
Millbury police station in June.
He has been held without bail since Monday for violating probation,
following an arrest on Sunday in Charlton after he allegedly violated a
restraining order sought by his estranged wife, Veronica A. Clark, and
smashed the lights and windows out of his mother's Nissan Xterra.
He allegedly vandalized the vehicle because he was angry about a
newspaper column that appeared about him in the Sunday Telegram.
At the probation hearing Friday, Mr. Clark's lawyer, Thomas W.
Brousseau, said that Mr. Clark has serious mental health issues and
takes medication for bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression, which he
has not been given in jail.
"Any prolonged detention will affect his mental health,"Mr. Brousseau said.He added that Mr. Clark's father, Gary Clark, indicated he
didn't want to pursue charges against his son for vandalizing
property, and that Veronica Clark had said she was the cause of the
restraining-order violation.
Shortly after the criminal hearing Friday, a civil hearing against
Mr. Clark to determine payments to an aggrieved couple was also
continued until March 29.
An arrest warrant issued for Mr. Clark by Dudley District Court on
Feb. 26, when he did not show up, was served Friday at court by a deputy
sheriff.
Nicholas P. Frye, a Boston lawyer seeking payment of more than
$19,000 in a civil judgment on behalf of his client, Michael Smith, told
the judge that Mr. Clark's scams were "premeditated, thought
out and thorough" and that they have continued long after charges
were filed last year.
Mr. Frye said that Mr. Clark has been putting his assets in his
father's name to avoid paying civil judgments and penalties. He
claimed to have evidence that more than $40,000 worth of video equipment
belonging to Jesse Clark has been locked in a storage unit paid for by
Gary Clark.
Despite a preliminary injunction issued in January by Suffolk
Superior Court Judge Judith Fabricant prohibiting Mr. Clark from
engaging in videography or wedding-related services and from accepting
consumer deposits for any kind of business, Mr. Clark has allegedly
moved his wedding video scam to Florida, Las Vegas and elsewhere, where
as recently as January he operated the Wedding Avenue under the alias
Michael Collins.
"It's important today that an order be placed to pay
these judgments," Mr. Frye told the judge.
He said he had an affidavit from Mrs. Clark's testimony in
Worcester Probate and Family Court that Mr. Clark has spent money on
214elaborate dates and lavish trips to Chicago and Las Vegas, with
$500-a-night hotel rooms.
"The moral of the story is, he's had access to these
assets," Mr. Frye said.
Mr. Clark testified Friday that he couldn't get money from his
bank account because his accounts have been frozen under a temporary
restraining order requested in January by Attorney General Martha
Coakley. The attorney general's lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior
Court, seeks more than $75,000 in restitution plus civil penalties and
the full recovery of all event footage.
Farrah and Clayton Chiavaroli or Worcester, who never received thevideo package they paid Mr. Clark $1,600 for to record their April 14,2012, wedding at Mechanics Hall, attended Friday's hearing."We just want our footage," Mrs. Chiavaroli said after
the hearing. "We even had footage from our honeymoon which we gave
him to edit in."
Mr. Chiavaroli said the first time he showed up to get his video at
SureShot's Millbury studio, in May 2012, he was told to come back
in a few days.
When he returned, he said, the business was shuttered and calls
weren't returned.
The couple had concerns before the wedding when they heard from a
friend who had allegedly been scammed by Mr. Clark, but felt reassured
when two subcontracted videographers showed up.
"I'd give him $10,000 to have our speeches, our first
dance ...," Mr. Chiavaroli said.
The Chiavarolis said they plan to file a complaint with the
attorney general's office.
Mr. Frye said in an interview that based on Mr. Clark's delays
in paying child support for his two young daughters, "The only way
he's going to pay anything is if he's afraid he'll be
locked up."
He said, "His plan is to get all these judgments and file
bankruptcy. He missed that day in law school where when you get a
judgment as a result of fraud, it's nondischargeable.
"I'll be damned if I let him get away with this because
he thinks he's a genius."
Contact Susan Spencer at susan.spencer@telegram.com. Follow her on
Twitter @SusanSpencerTG.
ART: PHOTOS
PHOTOG: T&G Staff/PAUL KAPTEYN
CUTLINE: (1) Videographer Jesse J. Clark appears in Dudley District
Court on Friday. (2) Worcester couple Clayton and Farrah Chiavaroli
listen to proceedings in Dudley District Court. They still haven't
received the video from their wedding in April 2012.
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