‘Bambi’ producer to go before judge

Sito Negron

Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2003 | 9:10 a.m.

The man who created "Hunting for Bambi" will appear before a judge Thursday on charges of doing business without a license.

Michael Burdick, who has been an outspoken critic of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and the city over the case, would not comment this week. His attorney, Craig Mueller, said little Tuesday about how the case is developing.

"There are several things pending. I cannot comment publicly on them," Mueller said. "Substantively, there have been no developments to report."

Goodman was not immediately available for comment.

The story began in July, when television station KLAS-TV ran an expose of a supposed business in which men paid up to $10,000 to "hunt" naked women with paintballs, a story that many people now think was a scam to sell videos. In fact, Burdick allegedly told the city that it was indeed a hoax, then went on national television and continued to claim it was real. The story received international attention, and an incensed Goodman said it made Las Vegas look bad.

Hunting for Bambi was a creation of a company for which Burdick's girlfriend, Lakana Campbell, 48, had a business license. But the business license didn't cover all the business's activities or Burdick's role, city officials said.

Burdick was at Campbell's home near the Las Vegas Beltway and Cheyenne Avenue -- which is the listed address on the license application for Real Men -- when business investigators showed up. The city claims he told them that he ran the business.

So the city wound up taking Burdick and Campbell to court for allegedly operating an unlicensed paintball park and an unlicensed escort service. The city also claims Campbell has failed to list a Burdick as a principal in her company.

The city later alleged that the business was also a front for a prostitution ring

Jim DiFiore, the city's business service manager, called one of the numbers in an ad on the company's website and was allegedly told that sexual satisfaction was available for donations of "$500 for full service for one hour, $700 for full service for two hours, up to $2,500 for a full day," according to the city's complaint.

The status of the prostitution allegation was unclear Tuesday, but the Las Vegas City Council is scheduled to decide whether to revoke Campbell's business license during its meeting next Wednesday.