Rizzolo’s wealth target of lawsuit

A Kansas City man who was paralyzed during an altercation with Crazy Horse Too employees seven years ago claims the former owner of the strip club is hiding his assets to avoid paying a $10 million settlement awarded to the tourist, according to court documents.

Kirk Henry and his wife, Amy, filed a lawsuit May 16 against Rick Rizzolo and his wife, Lisa, in an attempt to recover the money owed to him. The lawsuit claims that the Rizzolos have conspired to deprive the Henrys of their money. The lawsuit suggests the Rizzolos recent divorce is a sham. Rick Rizzolo gave his wife their three homes and agreed to pay her $5 million.

"Rick and Lisa Rizzolo engaged in a concerted effort to conceal and/or alienate the ownership of their assets in an effort to avoid and/or otherwise frustrate the plaintiffs in their eventual efforts to recover the substantial damages sustained," the lawsuit says.

Attorney Don Campbell, who represents the Henrys, and Mark Hafer, Rizzolo's lawyer, did not return phone messages Friday.

Rick Rizzolo pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 2006 and was released from prison in April after serving 10 months of a one-year, one-day sentence.

Rizzolo was given a one-year deadline to sell the Crazy Horse Too on Industrial Road. The federal government took ownership of the club after Rizzolo failed to find a qualified buyer. When the sale takes place, the Henrys are to receive their $10 million.

Henry was pummeled in the parking lot of the Crazy Horse Too after bickering over his tab. Employees of the strip club broke Henry's neck, leaving him a quadriplegic.

Henry's attorney claims the former strip club entrepreneur has scrambled to conceal his assets.

"The Defendant Rick Rizzolo engaged in numerous cash transactions involving millions of dollars in the form of 'loans,' gambling 'debts' and other third party transactions, all of which were designed to further obscure and conceal the nature, extent and location of his assets," the lawsuit says.