State, police crack down on packed nightclubs

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Scottsdale police cited one nightclub in the city for not complying with the state’s reopening guidelines and the state is also cracking down on three establishments owned by the family of Gov. Doug Ducey’s top health advisor.

Ducey said Thursday that Riot House was charged with a misdemeanor for failing to comply after police officers saw customers and employees “not practicing physical distancing, not wearing face coverings and not complying with their plan.”

His announcement came just hours after the Arizona Capitol Times published a story noting that Christina Corieri, Ducey’s senior health advisor, is the statutory agent for at least two of her parent’s nightclubs in Old Town Scottsdale, Ducey announced that the state was cracking down on several of those clubs. 

Three of the bars the family owns – Scottsdale’s Hi-Fi Kitchen + Cocktails, Bottled Blonde and Casa Amigos – landed on a list of eight bars Ducey labeled “bad actors” during his June 25 press briefing. 

Corieri’s family owns Evening Entertainment Group, which just announced it will temporarily shut the doors of its Scottsdale establishments. 

“After careful consideration, and in light of Arizona’s current spike in cases, we’ve made the decision to voluntarily close,” the owners, Les and Diane Corieri, said in a written statement. 

They are only closing the Scottsdale locations of Bottled Blonde, Hi-Fi Kitchen + Cocktails, Casa Amigos and Skylanes. 

“We made significant efforts to maintain a safe environment,” the co-owners said in the statement. However, liquor license complaints and dozens of photos and videos dating back to May 15 (when locations reopened) would suggest otherwise.

Ducey said the Department of Liquor sent those clubs a final notice to comply with health standards on June 23.

Ducey’s office said Corieri’s dual roles don’t create a conflict of interest, as she isn’t involved in decisions around reopening businesses. 

The clubs aren’t supposed to be open as Arizona is still in Phase 1 of reopening, but have remained jammed each weekend with closely-packed crowds not wearing masks.

Jeffery Trillo, the Department of Liquor’s assistant director, said after an educational approach, a suspension or revocation of the liquor license is possible.

Riot House, El Hefe and Whiskey Row, all of which are located in Old Town Scottsdale closed Thursday and will stay closed until at least Sunday, Riot Hospitality Group spokeswoman Lissa Druss said. It was unclear when they will reopen.

“We want to be the leaders in this. We want to do what we can to prevent the spread of COVID. If we can by closing the three locations here in Old Town does that, then we’re happy to do so,” Druss told KPHO-TV.  The closures are voluntary for health and safety concerns.

Riot House  is believed to be the first case against an Arizona business during the pandemic alleging an accusation of failure to follow social distancing rules.

The Arizona Department of Health Services on Friday reported another 45 deaths linked to COVID-19, bringing the total to 1,535 since the start of the outbreak. The state also reported nearly 3,500 newly confirmed cases for a total of just under 66,500. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this story erroneously reported that Christina Corieri is the point of contact for the Department of Liquor enforcement actions on nightclubs her family owns because she is the statutory agent for multiple companies associated with her family’s business. In fact, Corieri is not the statutory agent for the liquor licenses – only the corporations – and would not be a point of contact on liquor license matters.