Quebec cinema owner Vincenzo Guzzo charged with criminal harassment

After he was charged with criminal harassment and failure to comply with conditions, Quebec businessman Vincenzo Guzzo says this is a “private family issue, which has unfortunately been made public.”

In a written statement he sent to the media mid-afternoon on Tuesday, Guzzo said the charges against him “are disputed and vigorously denied.”

“The current problem is between me, my wife and our lawyers,” Guzzo said, referring to “the ongoing divorce proceedings” and about which he will not release any additional information.

He also asked that his private life and that of his children be respected “during this trying period.”

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The province’s Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) confirmed the filing of charges on Tuesday morning. Guzzo was charged with engaging in criminal harassment against a person between November 2022 and June 2023.

He was also charged with failing to comply with the condition not to communicate, directly or indirectly, with this person.

The Terrerbonne police department said Guzzo was arrested over the weekend. He appeared at the Laval courthouse on Sunday

At his appearance, the prosecution opposed his release and his case was postponed until the next day, according to the DPCP. He was released on Monday on several conditions and the case will be back in court on Sept. 14.

“My arrest was very destabilizing not only for me, but especially for our three children who have lived with me since November 2022 and who were present at my residence when I was arrested,” Guzzo said.

Guzzo is a key player in the cinema industry in Quebec, being president and general manager of Cinémas Guzzo.

Guzzo is a key player in the cinema industry in Quebec. He is the president and general manager of Cinémas Guzzo.

The entrepreneur also appears on the CBC show Dragon’s Den. He once considered running for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, but never made the jump.