Thursday, March 24, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Club loses its liquor license

Numerous violations at Galardi-owned strip joints, police say

Few customers frequented the Leopard Lounge Gentlemen's Cabaret on Wednesday after the Clark County Commission voted Tuesday against giving owner Jack Galardi a liquor license. Photo by K.M. Cannon.

Las Vegas police detectives uncovered numerous exotic dance violations at Jack Galardi's strip clubs in Tampa, Atlanta and elsewhere, according to an extensive investigative report obtained Wednesday by the Review-Journal.

The allegations prompted the Clark County Commission, acting as the Liquor and Gaming Licensing Board, to deny Galardi a liquor license for his topless club, Leopard's Lounge.

The commission voted 6-0 Tuesday on a motion to deny the license. Commissioner Chip Maxfield was absent.

"It was based upon what (police) presented as a pattern of violations in various establishments," Commissioner Bruce Woodbury said.

He said the denial of the license had nothing to do with Jack Galardi's son, Michael, and his guilty plea to federal corruption charges.

"I don't think we can visit the sins of the son upon the father," Woodbury said. The county's business license department and police had recommended denying the license. Strip clubs have tried to operate after liquor licenses have been revoked, to abysmal results.

Inside the Leopard Lounge on Wednesday night, all liquor had been pulled from the bars, and strippers danced for mostly empty chairs. A sign taped to the front door said, "18 & Over Welcome."

After the younger Galardi's guilty plea in 2003, he sold Leopard's to his father. The commission, concerned then about the elder Galardi's reputation, asked police to investigate. In the interim, the commission voted each month to issue a temporary license to Leopard's, near the Rio.

The police investigation was completed in January, but a vote on the matter was delayed because Galardi's attorney, Dominic Gentile, asked for time to review the police investigative report.

Gentile did not return a phone message left Wednesday.

His written response to the police report, which is nearly 20 pages long, noted that most of the Galardi employees charged in Tampa were never convicted.

Furthermore, Gentile argued, the sort of behavior Las Vegas detectives witnessed in the Tampa clubs is acceptable there. His response makes the same argument about police visits to Galardi's Atlanta clubs.

The voluminous police report details alleged violations in several of the clubs Galardi owns elsewhere.

In Tampa, for example, police there allege that prostitution was rampant in Galardi's clubs. They made 35 arrests during investigations in 2002 and 2003 of club employees on charges ranging from prostitution to drug possession.

The report states that undercover Tampa officers time after time caught exotic dancers engaging in prostitution and other illegal acts.

Las Vegas police made several trips to Galardi's out-of-state clubs to investigate in 2004. From a visit to the Gold Rush Show Club in Tampa, detectives offered this anecdote:

"As we walked in the business, a female entertainer, 'Bobbie' walked up to the female undercover LVMPD detective and myself and grabbed the female undercover LVMPD detective's left breast and my right pectoral through our clothing as she exclaimed 'Wahoo!' "

The detectives agreed to a private dance with Bobbie, according to the report.

"Bobbie faced me as I was seated and used both hands to continuously grab my penis and testicles through my pants. Bobbie put her head between my legs and used her mouth and chin to rub on my penis through my pants," the report states.

On another trip to Tampa, the detectives went to Galardi's Pink Pony Nude Club, also the subject of extensive investigations by Tampa police.

The detectives wrote that a nude female dancer named Olivia approached them. They agreed to a private dance, the report states.

"Olivia stated 'there is touching and full contact in the VIP room for $200,' " the report states.

Police also investigated Galardi's other Las Vegas clubs, Cheetah's and Jaguars.

Detectives reported issuing 55 citations during 14 "compliance checks" at Cheetah's between January 2003 and October 2004.

Cheetah's, in the city limits of Las Vegas, is not regulated by the County Commission.

Last year, after Jack Galardi took that club over from his son, the City Council fined the club $1 million and agreed to issue a liquor license.

At Jaguar's, police reported issuing four citations in 2004.

Michael Galardi admitted in his plea that he had paid between $200,000 and $400,000 to public officials in exchange for their influence over matters affecting his businesses.

Former County Commissioners Dario Herrera, Lance Malone, Mary Kincaid-Chauncy and Erin Kenny also face charges in the case. Kenny has pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.