Trial starting for former Binghamton restaurant owners: What to know

Jeff Murray, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin
·2 min read

Two former Binghamton restaurant owners face trial next week stemming from a November 2021 incident that resulted in rape, sexual abuse and drug charges.

Yaron Kweller and Jordan Rindgen, managing partners of The Colonial and Dos Rios restaurants, were charged in a 12-count indictment following allegations of drugging and sexual assault of some patrons.

The Broome County District Attorney's Office confirmed the trial is scheduled to begin Monday in front of Judge Carol Cocchiola in Broome County Court.

Kweller was indicted on charges of first-degree rape and the commission of a first-degree criminal sex act, both felonies.

Rindgen was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance for allegedly selling cocaine to two people. He was also charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance for his alleged possession of cocaine with the intent to sell it.

The Colonial bar and restaurant on Court Street in Binghamton stands empty Dec. 9, 2021 after an impromptu closure amid allegations of sexual assault by employees.
The Colonial bar and restaurant on Court Street in Binghamton stands empty Dec. 9, 2021 after an impromptu closure amid allegations of sexual assault by employees.

A third defendant, Kweller's older brother Leor Kweller, of Brooklyn, was indicted on charges of first-degree rape and first-degree sexual abuse, but Cocchiola dismissed the charges earlier this year based on a review of grand jury transcripts.

The District Attorney's Office appealed that ruling, and the appeal is pending.

The charges are in connection with an investigation into a Nov. 27, 2021 incident at 141 Washington St. in Binghamton.

Following that incident, a Facebook group emerged calling for a boycott of the Colonial and affiliated restaurants, alleging the sexual assault of more than a dozen women by employees of those establishments.

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The Colonial and Dos Rios restaurants have since closed. New restaurants are planned for both spaces.

Attorney Paul Battisti, one of the defense lawyers in the case, defeated incumbent District Attorney Michael Korchak in a Republican primary earlier this year, and will face Democrat Matthew Ryan in the November election.

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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Colonial, Dos Rios owners' case: When Kweller, Rindgen go to trial