Mo Movassaghi has filed a complaint against Vancouver police. Photo by Darryl Dyck
A Vancouver man who has been accused of repeatedly throwing large penthouse parties during the pandemic, including one that resulted in $17,000 in fines, is calling for police to be charged for damaging his home and violating his privacy.
Mo Movassaghi, 42, was arrested Sunday under British Columbia’s Public Health Act after police showed up and said they discovered a “makeshift nightclub” at his 1,100- square-foot penthouse in downtown Vancouver.“Our officers found 78 people inside the three-level apartment, and none of them were wearing masks,” said Vancouver police Sergeant Steve Addison. “There were menus, tables, point-of-sale terminals, and cash tills.”Each of the guests was issued s $230 fine for attending the party, which violates COVID-19 restrictions forbidding social gatherings of any kind. Police said they previously attended Movassaghi’s penthouse on January 23, after someone reported there was a 100-person party there. They said that party featured “a doorman who was wearing a protective vest, carrying a counting device, and holding several denominations of money.” They said they fined Movassaghi, who refused to open the door and was “defiant with police.” Police returned on Sunday, after they said Movassaghi threw two more big parties. But in an interview with Daily Hive, Movassaghi said he’s the one whose rights are being infringed upon. He said when cops showed up on January 23, they were “banging incessantly at the door.” “They then broke the peephole and dented the door,” he said, adding he asked them to leave repeatedly. He said police finally left after two hours. He told Daily Hive he filed a complaint against the Vancouver police for “damaging my door and peephole and causing mischief; blocking the fire exit and fire exit hallway; and attempting to film inside my private entrance with a peephole camera. This is a violation of privacy.” In a statement to VICE World News, a Vancouver police spokesperson said a complaint tied to the party had been received by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner. “Any member of the public can make a complaint to the OPCC after they have an interaction with police that they weren’t happy with,” the spokesperson said. Movassaghi was photographed leaving jail Sunday in what appear to be $400 Gucci slides that say “not fake.” Follow Manisha Krishnan on Twitter
Mo Movassaghi, 42, was arrested Sunday under British Columbia’s Public Health Act after police showed up and said they discovered a “makeshift nightclub” at his 1,100- square-foot penthouse in downtown Vancouver.
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