Strip Club News

Twelve dancers and two customers were arrested yesterday at the Houston Dolls Cabaret in Houston, TX, for violations of local sexually oriented business regulations, allegations of prostitution, and drug sales.

Harris County sheriff’s deputies obtained arrest warrants for a total of 25 female employees of the club following a three-week undercover investigation. One news report indicates that two of the female workers arrested inside the club were underage.

More arrests are likely to follow.

VCG Holding Corp. has purchased Jaguars Gold Club near Fort Worth, Texas. The company purchased 100% of the stock of Golden Productions JGC Fort Worth LLC for $3.7 million in cash.

Earlier this month, VCG acquired Platinum Plus gentlemen’s club in Portland, Maine for $4.5 million; they also paid $1 million in earnest money to acquire an affiliated club in Miami, FL, contingent on the transfer or permits and licenses. VCG plans to rename the Platinum Plus club under the PT’s brand.

VCG Holding, headquartered in Lakewood, CO, owns and operates several upscale adult entertainment establishments across the country. VCG has been active in acquiring gentlemen’s clubs and may purchase more in the near future. VCG is a publicly traded company with ticker symbol PTT.

Here is a link to an interesting article from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The article finds that there is little or no adverse effect on the neighboring community from strip clubs. Not only that, but the customer traffic to strip clubs—often businessmen—is beneficial to surrounding businesses.

Article

A coalition of strip club activists fighting to repeal a new Ohio law that prohibits clubs from offering nude entertainment from midnight to 6 AM and increases penalties for illegal touching was dealt a severe blow when two-thirds of their petition signatures were ruled invalid.

Of the 382,500 signatures submitted on the petitions, only 125,400 were ruled valid. The coalition has only ten days to get an additional 116,000 valid signatures to force the issue to be placed before the voters on the statewide November ballot.

In addition to the arbitrary hours of operation limitation, the law sets a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $250 fine if patrons physically touch nude or semi-nude performers. If a patron touches certain areas like the breast or genitals, the penalty is a maximum of six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.

One must wonder what harm to society can occur as a result of a person appearing nude before consenting adults after midnight. Is this law intended to protect society or harm the ability of strip clubs to do business and dancer income potential? The answer is obviously the latter.

This is just another example of the enemies of strip clubs running roughshod over the citizens’ court-affirmed constitutional rights.

US Attorney Eric Melgren’s office announced that Cherokee County Attorney Michael L. Goodrich was indicted by a federal grand jury on counts of extortion, wire fraud, and intimidating a witness while taking money from Sensations gentlemen’s club in Galena, Kansas.

Melgren allegedly received cash and favors from the owners and employees of Sensations. Melgren took money from the owner of Sensations, Hai Ching Ying, and the manager, Tom Dekeyser between Jan. 2005 and Sept. 2007 in exchange for favorable legal treatment.

Goodrich faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison on each count of extortion and wire fraud if convicted and up to $250,000 in fines.

Five dancers were arrested and the manager of Vegas Showgirls was cited for violations of Pinellas County ordinance 6-2 which prohibits the exposure of the female areola or genitals where alcohol is sold.

This arrest follows an investigation of complaints of illegal activity at the club. This is the third time in the past six months that dancers have been arrested at Vegas Showgirls.

Pinellas County Code

Recently, the US 11th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to grant a Daytona Beach strip club a rehearing in a case in which the court overturned a lower court’s decision ruling that the anti-nudity laws of Daytona Beach, Florida, were unconstitutional. Police are preparing for crackdowns on clubs operating in violation of the ordinance.

Attorneys for Lollipops Gentlemen’s Club, a nude strip club in Daytona Beach, are preparing briefs in hopes that the US Supreme Court will eventually decide to hear their appeal. Other clubs affected by the ordinance are Club Topic, Molly Brown’s, Pink Pony, and Shark Lounge.

The Daytona Beach ordinance prohibits nudity in establishments that sell alcohol or are located within 500 feet of places where alcoholic beverages are sold. In addition, the city ordinance severely restricts where adult oriented businesses can be located.

Daytona Beach Nudity Ordinance

Dean Cohen, a man from Florida who has opened several adult entertainment establishments around the country, has proposed a new upscale topless club in Windham, New Hampshire.

The tentative name for the new gentleman’s club is Goldfinger New Hampshire. The proposal calls for $600,000 in renovations to a building on Route 28 where the club will be located.

Before opening the club, Cohen must overcome a local ordinance prohibiting nude dancing. Reports indicate Cohen is willing to fight in court if necessary to get his topless club opened.

We wish him luck.

On Oct. 10th, Sarasota County, Florida, officials will hold a public hearing on plans for new restrictions on strip clubs. The new restrictions under consideration are bans on liquor and lap dances along with stringent location requirements.

The new owners of the Oval Office gentlemen’s club at 1100 Main St., Green Bay, WI, have run into permit problems while remodeling in preparation for opening. The Oval Office is in the location previously occupied by Bamboo Room, a nude club that served alcohol and operated in that spot for 20 years.

City inspectors have issued a stop work order because the renovations have gone beyond what is allowed by restrictions enacted in 1992. The 1992 ordinance prohibits adult use at that location. But because there was an existing club operating there, Bamboo Room, it was grandfathered in and allowed to operate as a non-permitted use. As part of these restrictions, the building could not be altered or improved beyond 50% of its 1992 value, or else it would lose its grandfather-clause status and be required to get a new permit.

Property values and remodeling costs have appreciated greatly since 1992, severely limiting the new owners’ ability to improve the place for patrons while still maintaining its ability to offer adult entertainment. Structural improvements are limited to a paltry $20,450. Exceeding that amount would mean that the new owners would lose their grandfathered status. They would then need to get a new use permit to operate; they would not be able to get one for adult entertainment.

All over America, governments at the state, county, and city levels are enacting restrictions on “sexually oriented” businesses such as strip clubs. These restrictions are designed for one purpose only: to harm the ability of clubs to do business.

These restrictions make strip clubs less economically viable by not allowing the sale of alcohol or nudity and pushes them out on the fringes away from population centers and the customers who patronize them. These arbitrary and unnecessary regulations enable governments to punitively circumvent prior court rulings upholding free expression rights of citizens.

In a news article, Ocean City, Maryland, city planner Jesse Houston was quoted as saying: “There must be sites physically and legally available for (adult oriented) uses according to the First Amendment. Whether these locations are economically viable is not relevant.”

Thus, city planner Houston has revealed the true intent of these types of strip club restrictions.

Article

A new strip club called All Fours received a liquor license despite a court challenge from the state of New Mexico. The club will be located in Albuquerque at 2294 Wyoming Blvd., in the former site of Chapter II, a topless bar.

Neighborhood groups were unhappy with the city of Albuquerque’s decision to allow the liquor license transfer, prompting complaints. As a result, the state went to court in an attempt to block the liquor license. But the challenge lost in District Court and was rejected by the state Supreme Court which upheld the lower Court’s decision.

The Board of Commissioners in Shelby County, TN, has voted to place new restrictions on strip clubs to make it harder for them to conduct business.

The new law which will go in effect at the top of 2008 requires all dancers to be licensed. Any dancer with a criminal conviction within the past few years will be unable to work. In addition, the law prohibits alcohol at clubs. Any violation of the new ordinance will enable the County to shut down clubs.

Shelby County is yet another in a long list of municipalities that are purposely circumventing prior court rulings in favor of strip clubs by enacting harsh new laws which serve no purpose other than make it difficult to conduct business.

State lawmakers in Utah are in a huff because a tax intended to stick it to strip clubs has backfired because the law only applies to nude clubs.

What’s most interesting is the logic of one of the sponsors of the strip club tax. He claims that strip clubs are partly to blame for juvenile sex crime. Too bad he doesn’t realize that juveniles don’t go to strip clubs because the law doesn’t allow it.

Former DFL lawmaker Duane Bourdeaux is quoted as saying:

“We’re seeing a lot more juvenile sex offenders. Someone has to pay for that treatment. Right now, the taxpayers are paying for it. I believe we should put it on the backs of those contributing to it. Look at the research…porn and strip clubs is what got them into some of it. It starts to play into their abuse cycle. Later on whether they rape someone or molest a kid, that’s what kind of got them down that path.”

These are the kinds of people working to shut down strip clubs…absolute idiots.

The Entire Article

The North Carolina Court of Appeals has upheld a December 2005 county court decision allowing Pitt County to enforce an ordinance banning strip clubs and other adult entertainment establishments.

The ordinance passed in October of 2002 prevents sexually oriented businesses from being located within a quarter mile of homes, churches, and parks. The ordinance also requires adult establishments to obtain a special license and prohibits nude dancing.

There are four clubs operating in Pitt County that are in violation of the ordinance. They are: Cherry Lane, Club Vegas, Deja Vu, and Silver Bullet Dolls. The 2005 decision ordered the already-existing clubs to cease operation or relocate.

This law was enacted to force legal, constitutionally protected businesses out of business by making it impossible for them to find suitable locations to operate.

The assault on our rights continues…

Pitt County Website

Chris Teague, owner of Boise, Idaho, strip clubs Erotic City and Night Moves, was sentenced to a minimum of two years in prison for taking earnings from prostitution. In addition to owning two strip clubs, Teague owned AAA Anytime Escort Service. Teague used the escort service as a front for prostitution. Teague was convicted on four counts in July. His first trial resulted in a hung jury.

Work is underway on a new gentlemen’s cabaret in Austintown, OH. Go Go Girls Cabaret is expected to open in about two months. According to news reports, the club will feature “live, exotic striptease dancing”.

The club will be located at 5455 Clarkins Drive, near the I-80 and State Route 46 interchange.

Dancers, a nude club located in Palatine, IL, has lost its battle with Lake County and has closed for good.

Dancers had been fighting the county’s adult entertainment ordinance for years and racking up huge fines in the process. The parent company, XLP Corp., has paid $135,000 in fines and ceased operation.

Baby Dolls, a nude club in Wadsworth, IL, is also a victim of Lake County’s freedom robbing tactics. Last week the club was fined $204,500 for operating in violation of county ordinance.

The county’s draconian ordinance is designed to harm adult oriented businesses by restricting operating hours, customer tipping, and seating and stage arrangements.

Lake County, Illinois, Website

A coalition of Ohio strip club owners and dancers has temporarily halted the implementation of new rules prohibiting touching and forcing sexually oriented businesses to close at midnight. The new regulations were slated to go into effect today. If the signatures are valid—over 382,000 of them—the issue will be put on a statewide ballot this November.

Ohio gentlemen’s club owners and dancers are planning to present the Secretary of State with petitions containing roughly 400,000 signatures to force a statewide vote on oppressive restrictions passed earlier this year.

In April of 2007, a law was enacted to require all sexually oriented business to close at midnight. As part of this law, all nude or semi-nude dancers would be required to remain at least six feet away from patrons at any time. If this initiative makes it on the ballot, the regulations won’t go into effect until after the vote in November, instead of this coming week as scheduled.

Considering that many strip clubs don’t get busy until close to midnight, these regulations could significantly harm the income of club owners and dancers.

The Ohio Statute

The owner of Platinum Gold in Boynton Beach, FL, Norman Goddard, was reportedly arrested along with two dancers and five other people following a month-long undercover investigation into on-premise prostitution and drug sales on August 31st.

The owner was charged with drug trafficking, deriving support from proceeds of prostitution, and keeping a house of ill fame.

Two dancers were charged with drug possession, one of them was also charged with solicitation of prostitution. Five others including a 17-year-old girl were charged with either drug possession or sales.

Employees said that they paid the club’s owner a portion of the proceeds from the sale of drugs. Oxycodone, methadone, cocaine and marijuana were found inside the club.

Police expect that there will be charges of selling drugs brought against eight more people in the near future.