Judge keeps pressure on former Crazy Horse Too owner
The judicial squeezing of ousted topless bar mogul Rick Rizzolo continues.
Back when he was worried about doing a long stretch in prison, Rizzolo once agreed he owed millions to Kirk Henry and his wife, Amy Henry, after a Crazy Horse Too goon rendered Kirk Henry a quadriplegic back in 2001.
But the former topless bar owner has spent years playing legal sleight-of-hand.
Attorneys for the Henrys, meanwhile, have pressed the uncooperative Rizzolo for every dime owed their clients.
Rizzolo already has involved ex-wife Lisa Rizzolo in his fraudulent behavior. Now U.S. District Judge Philip Pro has ruled that Rizzolo perpetrated another fraud, this one involving his late father, Bart Rizzolo, and his father's widow, Kimtran Rizzolo.
This week, U.S. Magistrate Judge George Foley Jr. ordered the seizure of more than $600,000 from three annuity accounts in Kimtran Rizzolo's name, "in satisfaction of the unpaid balance of Plaintiff's judgment."
In case anyone remained confused in the matter, Foley left nothing to chance. He repeated the conclusions of Pro, who granted summary judgment in the matter April 19.
Foley wrote: "As set forth in that order, the District Court found that Defendant Rick Rizzolo fraudulently transferred $1,052,996.03 to his father, Bart Rizzolo, and Bart Rizzolo's spouse, Kimtran Rizzolo."
Foley reiterated that Pro determined Rizzolo "made these transfers and assignment to Bart Rizzolo and/or Kimtran Rizzolo with actual intent to hinder, delay, and defraud his creditors, in particular the Plaintiffs Kirk and Amy Henry," in violation of Nevada law.
Foley detailed each transaction down to the annuity account and check number.
The order also calls into question the role of Vincent Piazza, Rick Rizzolo's partner in a Philadelphia topless bar project, in the fraud scheme. Piazza is the father of retired Major League Baseball star Mike Piazza.
From May through October 2010, Kimtran Rizzolo received $315,482 from Vincent Piazza in "fraudulently transferred funds," Foley noted.
BUTTON MAN: While several thousand Southern Nevadans recently went to hear President Barack Obama at Cashman Field, Engel Meister played to a somewhat smaller crowd.
Frankly, I liked Meister's routine.
Wearing a red Obama cap and an unruly handlebar mustache, Meister attempted to interest passers-by in purchasing his campaign buttons. He had followed the Obama campaign all the way from Charlotte, N.C., and the Democratic National Convention. He said he had a good week in Charlotte, but it was a slow day in Las Vegas.
"Can you honestly say you have more buttons today than you had four years ago?" he asked a potential customer. "We're a button-based economy in this country. You'd look great with a button. Everybody needs a button. And these are made from 100 percent button."
Alas, he got more laughs than sales.
JAZZ NIGHT: There's still time to get tickets for local jazz artist Ashton Zyer's concert to benefit The Rape Crisis Center. The event is set for 8 p.m. Saturday at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, and guest performances are expected. Information: therapecrisiscenter.org, 385-2153, or thesmithcenter.com.
GREEK TO YOU: Starting today, be prepared for Greeks bearing food. The 40th annual Las Vegas Greek Food Festival is set to satisfy your dolmades and baklava cravings. It's at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, 5300 El Camino Road. Information: 221-8245.
ON THE BOULEVARD: Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is scheduled to speak this afternoon at Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus. Give or take 47 percent, a capacity crowd is expected.
BOULEVARD II: Former Clark County Sheriff Ralph Lamb never rode a horse on Fremont Street outside the Helldorado parade, but his neon frontier spirit is back in the saddle thanks to "Vegas," the CBS series starring Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis, which premieres Tuesday. The cowboys vs. gangsters story line is bound to be entertaining.
Do you wonder whether former FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph Yablonsky, who ran the Las Vegas office in an era when cops and feds didn't always get along, will be tuning in?
I'm betting he won't.
John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Email him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith. Follow him on Twitter @jlnevadasmith.
