Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Treasures stripper not guilty of soliciting

Club seeks permanent liquor license

One of three strippers accused of offering sex for money at Treasures was found not guilty Tuesday, a victory for the topless club that staked its lucrative liquor license on its dancers avoiding prostitution convictions.

Municipal Judge George Assad ruled the city failed to prove its solicitation of prostitution charge against Barbara Lewis. However, Assad found Lewis guilty of a second count of violating the city's erotic dance code, a conviction that landed Lewis a $500 fine.

Lewis, who attended the hearing in a yellow T-shirt, denim jeans and plastic flip-flops, wept throughout the three-minute hearing and declined comment afterward.

Her attorneys lauded the verdict on the soliciting charge, which they argued during the trial was the result of police entrapment.

"We're happy that the truth bore out today," attorney Louis Palazzo said.

Asked if avoiding another prostitution conviction represented a significant victory for Treasures, Lewis' other lawyer demurred. "This is a big victory for Ms. Lewis," said attorney Ross Goodman, son of Mayor Oscar Goodman.

Palazzo told the judge Tuesday that Lewis has expended a great deal of money paying legal fees and traveling from out of state to attend her court hearings.

Outside court, Palazzo and Ross Goodman declined to confirm whether Lewis personally paid their fees. Asked whether Treasures picked up the tab for her legal representation, the attorneys declined to answer.

"We don't discuss who's paying our fees," Palazzo said. "That's not for public consumption."

What would be a routine acquittal of an exotic dancer carries added weight because of where Lewis works.

Treasures is trying to win a permanent liquor license from the City Council.

The club, which opened one year ago, was granted a temporary liquor license in 2001 by the City Council amid concerns about numerous prostitution citations at out-of-state clubs held by Treasures owners Ali and Hassan Davari. The Davaris also are the subject of a money-laundering investigation tied to their clubs in Houston.

Club attorney Mark Fiorentino promised council members the club would not tolerate illegal activity and even declared that the Davaris would not fight revocation of their liquor license if any dancer was convicted of soliciting prostitution at the club. Fiorentino has since tried to back out of his promise, declaring himself an idiot.

The council has thrice extended the temporary license this year as three prostitution cases involving Treasures dancers wended their way through the court system, and is scheduled to take up the issue on Sept. 15.

Lewis is the second dancer to go to trial. Treasures dancer Jessica Crockett was found guilty of misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution in August. The third solicitation case is pending.

Besides Lewis, the mayor's son represents the other Treasures dancers accused of soliciting of prostitution.

Councilman Michael Mack earns a paycheck from Treasures as a public relations consultant.

Goodman and Mack have abstained from votes concerning Treasures.

Both said Tuesday they've not discussed the matter with city staff or any of the judges trying the cases.

"I've stayed out of the Treasures thing," the mayor said.

"I'm trying to stay far away from that," Mack said.

Assad, who presided over Lewis' case, was nominated for his judgeship by Mayor Goodman in 2002. The mayor offered no explanation for his selection of Assad, who was subsequently appointed by the council.

During his race last year to keep the post, Assad was criticized for accepting campaign contributions from strip clubs that compete with Treasures.

Of the dozens of people who contributed to Assad's campaign, only four gave the top limit of $5,000. Two of those four maximum contributors are Rick Rizzolo and Mike Galardi. Rizzolo is the owner of the Crazy Horse Too topless club. Galardi, now under federal indictment, at the time was the owner of Jaguars and Cheetah's strip clubs.