KPLU Local News
(2010-04-28)
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Rick's in Seattle is one of the strip clubs that will close.
The owners of a string of strip clubs in the Puget Sound area have pleaded guilty to racketeering and prostitution charges. As a result of the plea deal, the clubs will be shut down. The properties, worth $4.5 four million dollars, will be turned over to the federal government.
The clubs to be shuttered May 5th are Rick's in Seattle, Honey's in Everett, which will also be demolished, and Fox's near Joint Base Lewis McChord.
Another club involved, Sugar's in Shoreline, has already closed.
All the strip clubs have been under the scrutiny of law enforcement. The FBI and Seattle police conducted a nearly two year investigation, working undercover as patrons, dancers and managers.
They found dancers selling sex on the side and clubs installing so-called VIP booths with high backs, encouraging the illegal activity.
United States Attorney for Western Washington, Jenny Durkan, said even though the three men who plead guilty won't do any prison time, the public will benefit because a corrupt organization will be shut down.
"The strip clubs that they operated flaunted the law, promoted prostitution and have been a blight on our community for years," she said.
The three club owners who pleaded guilty are Steven Fueston, David Ebert and Leroy Christiansen.
The men most associated with the strip clubs, Frank Colacurcio Sr. and Frank Colacurcio Jr., are not part of the plea agreement. They are actually minority partners in the business. The U-S Attorney says the Colacurcio's are still being prosecuted, but won't say if the men who pleaded guilty will testify against them.
The Colacurcio's have been under a legal cloud for decades, serving time for tax evasion in the seventies and more recently, being found guilty of illegally contributing to some Seattle City council campaigns.
Homepage photo courtesy Flickr user tntenigma © Copyright 2012, KPLU
