Club’s operator has bid on table

He might have missed the city-imposed deadline to buy the Crazy Horse Too Gentleman's Club, but Mike Signorelli is still in the game to acquire the topless joint, his lawyer said Thursday.

Signorelli, who has operated the strip club since October, has made an offer of $31 million for the club and placed $3 million in an escrow account, his attorney, Stephen Stein, said.

Signorelli missed Sunday's deadline to buy the club, causing Las Vegas to pull its liquor license.

Why Signorelli missed the deadline remains unclear.

"There are a lot of stories in the Naked City, none of which are for publication," Stein said.

Stein wrote a letter asking to appeal the city's suspension of the liquor license. The appeal is scheduled to be heard by the City Council on Wednesday.

The $31 million offer would have to be accepted by Crazy Horse Too owner Rick Rizzolo. Then the federal government must find that Signorelli is a suitable buyer.

As part of a federal plea agreement last year, Rizzolo agreed to sell the club. The sale will fund the payment of about $17 million in fines, including $10 million to a Kansas tourist whose neck was broken after disputing a tab at the club.

Rizzolo is serving a one year and one day sentence on tax-related charges. The Crazy Horse Too, Rizzolo and a number of employees were the subject of a lengthy federal probe.

Councilman Gary Reese, whose ward includes the club, said the council clearly told Signorelli in April that it would not extend his liquor license if Signorelli did not buy the club from Rizzolo.

"I still feel the same way now," Reese said. "We've done everything we possibly could do to work this out. Now they're exhausting my patience."

Stein said Thursday that Signorelli "may or may not" go forward with the appeal.

Signorelli has been vacationing in Europe and was scheduled to return to Las Vegas Thursday night, Stein said.

The club has remained open (though it closed in observance of the July 4 holiday) despite not being able to serve liquor.

Stein said he and others made the decision to keep the club open, not Signorelli. "We left him alone, all of us, when he was in Paris," he said. "We respected that."

Stein would not reveal the source of the $31 million in financing that Signorelli had secured.

The funding source would be disclosed to the federal government and the city when Rizzolo agrees to the sale, he said.

Lawyers for Rizzolo have said they are in talks with a number of potential buyers for the club.