Prominent San Jose nightclub operator Gholam "Ray" Shafazand, who's been charged with raping a young woman, is scheduled to appear March 29 in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
The 50-year-old business owner and Los Gatos resident was arraigned Jan. 24 and released on $100,000 bail, said Santa Clara Deputy District Attorney Luis Ramos.
Shafazand is charged with one count of rape by force, violence and duress or menace, Ramos said. If Shafazand is found guilty, he faces a maximum of eight years in state prison.
The incident, as reported by the Mercury News and confirmed by Ramos, is allegedly to have occurred either Jan. 7 or Jan. 8 in Shafazand's Los Gatos home on Deer Park Road.
"We are currently in pretrial status," Ramos said. "We are in the process of the investigatory and discovery status. Once we have all the discovery and investigation, we can proceed."
Ramos said although a status update on the case has been set for March 29, it will probably be another three or four more weeks before the case moves forward.
Shafazand, owner of Sabor and Myth Taverna in San Jose, had been in the Gaslighter Theater. But the on Jan. 3 that would have allowed the business to serve alcohol past midnight.
The applicant had previously been denied the permit on Oct. 25 by the Campbell Planning Commission due to that prohibits downtown businesses from serving alcohol past midnight.
