Aaron Grech August 15th, 2021 - 7:41 PM
Anthony Raneri of Bayside was wrapped into a three-month long investigation, which ultimately ended with the arrest of a Jacksonville tattoo artist named James Ranieri. Once Raneri discovered that Ranieri was posing as his cousin to gain favor with women, the musician contacted the Jacksonville mayor’s office, putting himself in touch with the state attorney and sheriff.
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Back in April Raneri wrote a post on Instagram, telling fans that the tattoo artist was not his cousin and alerting them to the allegations of violence and sexual assault made against Ranieri. In a following post ,the musician explained that many women who commented and messaged him with these allegations “felt unheard,” which inspired him to work with local authorities.
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“I didn’t want to put myself in the middle of it,” Raneri told First Coast News. “But, at the same time, I realized I have a platform and I figured I would and see how far that platform would go.”
On August 11 Ranieri was apprehended on three counts of sexual battery, which followed multiple investigations led by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. The tattoo artist is currently held on $375,000 bond, however possible victims are encouraged to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office phone at 904-630-0500 or email at JSOCrimeTips@Jaxsheriff.org.
To date, Bayside has released eight studio albums, with their latest record Interrobang seeing its release in 2019. Hailing from the Bayside neighborhood in Queens, New York, Bayside has worked with numerous record labels including Chicago’s Victory Records, New York’s Wind-up Entertainment and Van Nuys’ Hopeless Records.
