By Steve Miller, AmericanMafia.com
Monday, March 12, 2007
On January 17, the Las Vegas City Council extended the temporary liquor license of Crazy Horse Too operator Mike Signorelli for another 90 days. Signorelli is scheduled to face the Council again on April 18 to ask for a permanent license, or face closure.
Federal Court Judge Philip Pro ordered last June that the club be sold by June 2007, though Signorelli expressed doubt that he could fulfil that order. Signorelli admitted that he's not paying Crazy Horse owner and convicted felon Rick Rizzolo rent, and that he may not be able to close the purported $45 million dollar purchase for several years. He blamed his not paying rent on having to instead pay off cab drivers to bring patrons to his business, which is illegal.
During the January Council hearing, Signorelli's attorney Jay Brown who is Mayor Oscar Goodman's business and law partner, admitted that the topless bar is paying cab drivers to deliver customers.
Councilman Steve Ross remarked that Signorelli is "running this business outside the law" based on his admission of paying drivers $70 per customer.
Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese emphasized that a liquor license is a privilege that must be exercised in the moral best interest of the community.
Signorelli told the Council, "I've done this (paid off cabbies) with the advice of a lot of other people who I asked if I could do this. I won't mention their names. They said I could."
His remark irritated Councilman Steve Wolfson who informed Signorelli that he would not tolerate any infractions of the law, and ordered him to stop paying cabbies. Signorelli and his lawyer reluctantly agreed abide by Wolfson's order.
Business at the Crazy Horse immediately decreased based on cab drivers diverting customers to bars that paid them a bounty.
This week, a number of cabbies informed me that Signorelli is again paying for customers delivered, and said his current pay off is $70.
It will be interesting to see what Councilman Wolfson has to say about this clear defiance of his and the Council's instructions.
Signorelli's return to the pay off practice may inspire a long-awaited bidding war that could drive the ante up to a dreaded $100 for each customer delivered to local strip bars participating in the illegal practice, and may inspire the spread of the extortion to include other business frequented by tourists. - SM
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