Embattled strip club owner Rick Rizzolo's federal criminal settlement keeps getting better.

Earlier this week, the racketeering portion of the pre-indictment negotiations was dropped, and sources say Rizzolo now will face only a tax fraud conviction that will enable him to serve no more than 16 months in jail with the possibility of half of that time in a halfway house. Rizzolo will pay up to $15 million in fines and judgments to settle the criminal case and a civil case stemming from the beating of a Kansas tourist who suffered a broken neck after partying at the Crazy Horse Too.

A RICO component, however, remains in the picture.

With as many as 18 defendants included in the global settlement, there are plenty of felonies but few prison sentences to go around. Sources confirmed Wednesday afternoon that a general agreement in the negotiations was at hand. The Review-Journal first reported the details of the settlement negotiations on Sunday.

If both sides keep playing nice, look for an official end to the case soon.

PORCUPINE JIM: James Barrier calls himself "Buffalo Jim," but maybe "Porcupine Jim" is a more appropriate nickname considering the endless sharp jabs he's delivered to Rizzolo. Barrier owns Allstate Auto and Marine Electric, a repair shop that shares space with the Crazy Horse Too in an Industrial Road strip mall.

Barrier and Rizzolo have been at odds for years over everything from leases and parking disputes to passed-out drunks and secretive surveillance cameras.

Now that Rizzolo is on the verge of a life change and the eventual sale of his strip club, you might think the two would have hung up the gloves.

You'd be wrong.

In a week that finds Rizzolo's defense attorney Tony Sgro plenty busy, Barrier continues to pound away at his opponent. Through his attorney, Gus Flangas, Barrier on Wednesday filed an affidavit and motion seeking in excess of $1 million for alleged past transgressions against Buffalo Jim's business.

HE SAID IT: New York criminal defense attorney Jerry Bernstein, whose inspired closing argument Wednesday went a long way toward saving client Dario Herrera's bacon, hasn't lost his sense of humor despite being battered consistently by the prosecution and U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks in the political corruption case in federal court.

Near the end of his closing argument, Bernstein called for the jury to either acquit or convict his client, ostensibly to bring an end to the ordeal.

"I love Las Vegas," Bernstein said outside the courtroom Wednesday, "but I don't want to come back and do it again."

But in a pinch I'll bet he'd still take a hung jury.

TEAMSTERS 631: There's trouble at Teamsters Local 631, where Secretary-Treasurer Ed Burke has been suspended for 60 days by the international after he failed to take action to discipline business agent Frank Incandella. A Teamsters Independent Review Board investigation had determined that Incandella maintained contact with former 631 official Dane Passo, who has been banned from the union.

The suspension is a reminder that Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa takes his union's reputation very seriously.

Local 631 represents more than 4,000 stagehand workers.

COUNTY FOLLIES: After catching Mount Charleston Lodge owner Barbara Orcutt building condominium units in a Kyle Canyon subdivision without the proper zoning, the Clark County Commission on Wednesday voted 6-1 to allow her to keep the two buildings already under construction after making a few modifications.

The next time you have a problem with the county, skip the usual lobbyists and hire Orcutt. She obviously has more juice than most.

Commissioner Tom Collins cast the sole dissenting vote.

SIMMS' STAR: These days you probably know Chester Simms as the man whose family foundation contributes to public television programming, but in his prime he was the charismatic casino manager of the original Flamingo. His memory will be honored with the placement of a star on the sidewalk outside the Flamingo at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Through his family foundation, one of Las Vegas' original sharp guys continues to give back to the town he loved.

ON THE BOULEVARD: At almost 79, Maurice "Baby Face" Peatros, the versatile former Negro League veteran featured in this month's Urban Avenue magazine, looks as if he could still hit .280 in any league. ... The Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings is for sale for $1.2 million. The bullet holes in the wall are included.

Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? E-mail comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0295.