JUDGE DENIES KALASHOS’ REQUEST TO POSTPONE JAIL TERM

By Miriam Raftery

File photo: Bessmon "Ben" and Jessica Kalasho

May 11, 2025 (San Diego) – A last-minute effort by former El Cajon Councilman Bessmon “Ben” Kalasho and his wife, Jessica, to postpone their 8-day jail sentence has been rejected by Superior Court Judge Wendy Behan. The Kalashos have been ordered to surrender on June 9^th to begin serving their sentence, which was imposed for criminal contempt of court.

The action stems from a 2017 civil lawsuit against the Kalashos, who were accused of using false social media aliases, fake polls, and altered photos to defame plaintiffs including a beauty pageant queen, a taco shop owner, and attorney Lina Charry.  Kalasho resigned from the El Cajon City Council immediately after a settlement was announced with most plaintiffs in that case, amid calls by the public for Kalasho to resign.

Charry refused to settle her case and secured a hefty judgement against the Kalashos, who repeatedly failed to show up and provide financial records to enable Charry to collect the money for her judgement. The court charged and convicted the Kalashos with criminal contempt of court and issued bench warrants for their arrest in May 2023.

But the Kalashos had moved to North Carolina, where Kalasho worked under the pseudonym Chef Benjamin Epicure at Smithmore Castle, a luxury hotel and wedding venue in North Carolina. Kalasho has also said he now works part of the year in Dubai.

They claimed that Jessyka could not travel due to pregnancy, and obtained postponement of their jail term until June 9 of this year.  

However Kalasho appeared in court last month in an unrelated civil case filed against him by the city of El Cajon over alleged code violations for unpermitted, illegal additions at the couple’s Fletcher Hills residence, which they advertised as a bed and breakfast inn. The outcome in that case remains pending.

After learning that a judge had retired, the Kalashos sought a hearing May 7 from Judge Wendy Behan asking her to stay their bench warrants based on “newly discovered evidence” against Charry, which thee failed to detail. They also asked that they be allowed to pay a modest fine instead of jail time, or that the jail sentence be postponed yet again until 2026.

“This request is necessary to prevent a grave miscarriage of justice,” the Kalasho stated, claiming without evidence that Charry misrepresented facts and tampered with evidence.

Ben Kalasho has a long history of fraudulent actions.  He pled guilty to misdemeanor counts of worker’s compensation fraud in October 2015. He failed to disclose his criminal background when he ran for office in 2016  and won, while still on probation. The state revoked the nonprofit status of a beauty pageant and a chamber of commerce that he ran, following an ECM investigation.

But Judge Behan wasn’t swayed by those arguments.  She noted that the Kalashos had previously claimed they were unable to travel to San Diego to serve their sentence, yet appeared in a San Diego courtroom last month for a full-week trial with the city.

Judge Behan denied their requests and ordered the couple to surrender on June 9 to serve their 8-day jail sentence.

If they fail to show up, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, they could be arrested and jailed anytime they come in contact with law enforcement—with extra penalties for failing to appear.