Fall River Dance Studio Refuses To Fire Drug Addicted Grooming Dance Instructor Currently Facing Arson Charges And Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct

 

In January we published a story about Matthew Parello, the owner of Downtown Dance Center in Marlborough. Parello had just been charged with arson in Newport, RI and had dozens of other criminal charges to his name prior to that. He had also been accused by several women of grooming them with alcohol while they were minors, and being sexually inappropriate. His fiance is a former student from his studio. He’s been charged with crimes in Marlborough, Westborough, Worcester, and Concord District Courts, for a variety of offenses including (these are just in these 4 courts, which were the only ones in Massachusetts we searched for):

• assault, larceny over $250
• A&B on a family member
• violation of an abuse prevention order
• driving without a license
• reckless operation of a motor vehicle
• OUI
• drug possession
• malicious destruction of property
• larceny by check
• leaving the scene of property damage
• using a motor vehicle without authority

He eventually moved to Rhode Island to start fresh while still owning and operating the dance studio in Marlborough. Except all he’s done there is continue to break the law, as he’s been charged with crimes in Woonsocket, and a whole bunch more in Newport, for drug possession, OUI, vandalism (multiple times), visiting a common nuisance, and the recent first degree arson charge. Read all about it here.

Matt carried on like a normal, legitimate business owner, instead of the crackhead abuser that he allegedly is. He made posts about his dance studio like it wasn’t just made public that he was charged with arson, made announcements about being in rap videos, and shared fundraisers for his for-profit business.

 

 

All of this behavior has been enabled by his parents Kathleen and her thespian husband Ron Parello, who continue to support him despite the fact that they also had to get a restraining order against him, which he was later arrested for violating.

When I first wrote the story I considered his parents victims and chose not to shame them. However, I have heard from several of Matthew’s abuse victims since the story was published who told us that his parents enable his behavior by threatening to sue the victims for coming forward, and continuing to give Matt financial support despite his drug addicted criminal behavior. They are just as bad as he is.

After our initial story close to a dozen other women came forward with similar stories about Parello being abusive and inappropriate with young girls. Many spoke about drugs, parties, and inappropriate contact with girls. One woman reported that he told her teenage daughter “if they are going to dance they need to learn to be less shy and more comfortable changing in front of me.” She says that her 22 year old daughter has been through extensive therapy due to Parello molesting her. She also alleges that Parello’s father tried suing victims who came forward with accusations.

One woman who dated Parello had to get a restraining order on him after he threatened to throw her out a second story window after she confronted him for smoking crack and stealing from her. His mother begged her to take him in and blamed her when she refused.

 

Keep in mind, Kathleen Parello was the same person who took out a restraining order against her son in Concord District Court because she knew how dangerous he was.

Yet she expected other innocent young women to take him in, knowing full well what he would do to them. Kathleen Parello appears to be a nurse for DCF.

Let’s hope she doesn’t allow abusive parents to reunite with their children, considering what she enables her son to do.

Victim #3 was a 14 year old who he hired to teach ballet at his studio in 2013. She says that he abused her trust by making inappropriate comments about hooking up with her when they turned 18. She also reports that Parello told a 13 year old girl that she was underperforming because she hadn’t had sex yet, commented on the development of an 11 year old girl’s body, and tickled them.

He was reportedly fired from the Worcester dance studio that he worked for at that time and would message his former students and instructors after they turned 18, urging them to party with him and complimenting their looks.

On Matt’s Instagram account from 2013 you can find a plethora of pictures of young girls accompanied by inappropriate comments from Matt.

 

 

 

Victim 4 told us that his 2014 property damage charge took place at her apartment after he tore it apart while high on crack. He reportedly sat on her arms and then began punching himself after she attempted to break up with him. She had to get a restraining order on him, as have many other women.

 

Victim 5 claims that Matthew got her to do cocaine with him when she was 17.

I intended on doing a followup to this story but never got around to it. Then over the weekend Matthew gave me a shoutout on Facebook as he announced he had sold his Marlborough dance studio (possibly due to negative attention brought by our award winning journalism). He claims he’s closing up shop because he’s bad at business, but will continue to work for companies that allow him to be around young girls, such as Headliners, and Boston Dance Company. He claims I lied about and judged him by showing publicly available court documents proving he was charged with a plethora of crimes, and by speaking with dozens of women who told similar stories about his drug abuse and grooming.

Sorry Matt, but there were no lies. According to court records you are currently out on $50K bail, and have a no contact order preventing you from going near the victims. You have a hearing tomorrow on a motion to dismiss the charges, which almost definitely will be denied.

Notice he mentioned in his farewell post that he won’t be talking about his next big steps, but he will make sure he is dancing around young girls. He may have given away his next move by posting about 8&1 Dance Company East in Fall River needing dance instructors.

A mother whose daughter takes classes at that studio reached out to us two weeks ago after searching Parello’s name and finding our story. She says that she’s noticed red flags with his behavior that mirror allegations we previously reported on from his former dancers. The 8&1 dance studio lied and covered up his criminal charges (including the arson case).

This woman claims that she and three other mothers are now unwilling to allow their daughters around Parello after reading the blog, and believes he should be fired. Matt told one of the mothers to Google him, knowing full well they’d find our story. He also told these mothers that 8&1 studio owners Jill Rucci would back him up.

The mother was in shock that Rucci hadn’t run a CORI check on Parello that would’ve revealed his extensive criminal background. Rucci recently took on a job as adjudicator at Headliner’s Dance Championships in New Jersey, and Matt lists his employment as “Emcee” (whatever that is) at the same place.

Feel free to reach out or give them a review here. If you choose to employe someone like this and bring them around young girls because you’re too lazy to do a background search then you deserve what you get.

When the mothers reached out to Jill Rucci to ask if he was still working at 8&1 Rucci told them she “removed him from the schedule,” but didn’t say that he was fired. His July 2 post seems to indicate that Rucci is still continuing to employ this drug addicted sexual predator.

Their reviews are also wide open.

Matt is also being enabled by his fiance of 3 years (Google Pam Beasley to see how that works out, dear) Erin Linebarger, who is an instructor at AMP Academy in Fall River, which shares a building with 8&1 studios.

Matt’s public post contains dozens of comments from supporters, who are apparently cool with the fact that they’re openly associating with a drug addicted sexual deviant who grooms young girls like it’s going out of style.

One of these commenters named Daniel Small is apparently going to come to my house and and mess me up for exposing his predatory friend.

Right after he touches up that chin strap and removes the butt plug.

Matt Parello is a dangerous person who is not the least bit repentant and has no intention of stopping because he believes he did nothing wrong. He’s being enabled by his parents and the dance community that continues to embrace him and allow him to be around young girls, despite his well documented behavior that proves what a predator he is. Let it be known – any dance studio that employs this man will be publicly named and shamed for it. It’s simply unacceptable to allow this man to be around children.