Vincent Blanchette ordered to trial on extortion charges

Vincent Blanchette will face trial in Québec after a judge at the Québec courthouse found the evidence sufficient to send him before judge and jury. The businessman and restaurateur faces extortion and a new charge of trafficking a person.

Québec courthouse ruling

The defense contested two charges against Blanchette, but the court allowed the case to move forward. The hearing for the continuation of proceedings was set for September 8, giving the case a formal next step in Québec court.

Blanchette is accused of a pattern that spans several years. Between 2018 and 2025, he allegedly induced a woman, under threat, to provide him with sexual services. He is also accused of making an intimate image of the same complainant accessible without her consent.

Charges from 2021 to 2025

The file also includes a drug-trafficking allegation tied to the period from January 2021 to May 2023. The trial order places those accusations in front of judge and jury rather than ending the case at the pretrial stage.

Blanchette is known in Québec as a businessman and restaurateur who co-founded Thaï Zone, Chocolato and the resto-bars Shaker. That profile makes the courtroom step a public one, especially because non-publication orders prevent disclosure of some evidence and the complainant’s identity.

September 8 hearing

Blanchette had his passport returned in December after some of his release conditions were eased. With the case now set to continue on September 8, the proceedings move from screening the evidence to preparing the path toward trial.