Strip club won’t get computers back for awhile

Jace Radke

Thursday, Feb. 27, 2003 | 11:32 a.m.

The government has agreed to return some of the items taken from the Crazy Horse Too topless club during an FBI raid last week, but will provide only copies of certain documents, according to a motion filed Wednesday in federal court.

The motion also revealed that the government will not return computers to the club for an undetermined amount of time.

Tony Sgro, attorney for the club, has asked that specific items seized by the FBI be returned because their loss is hampering the club's business, but the government disagrees.

"The contention that the Crazy Horse Too cannot continue operations without the requested items is simply wrong," according to court documents filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Johnson. "The Crazy Horse Too opened up for business Thursday evening only three hours after the completion of the search."

Among the items requested in Sgro's motion for return of property are legal files and correspondences, nine cash registers, several hundred sheriff's cards, computers, copies of current financial records, cash and employee files.

A hearing on the motion scheduled for Friday was postponed this morning and rescheduled for March 6.

The focus of the Feb. 20 raid was to locate evidence of connections to organized crime interests in New York and Illinois and to seize financial records dating to 1995, according to a federal search warrant. More than 80 federal agents and Metro Police officers served the warrant as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of hidden ownership of the club by organized crime.

Johnson's motion allows for the return of the sheriff's cards, legal documents, copies of a book of locker assignments, a Rolodex and tax records to the club by March 7.

About $600,000 in cash and what the club calls "Crazy Bucks" will also be returned to the club by March 7. An undisclosed amount of additional money and Crazy Bucks found in a shift manager's office won't be returned until March 21 because of the "financial nature of part of the ongoing investigation."

The motion also states that the FBI will need more time to search computer files and memory components. The cash registers "have certain physical characteristics which may potentially be relevant to the ongoing investigation."

Within the next two weeks the FBI anticipates being able to inform club officials about when the computers and registers can be returned. If register tapes can be safely printed, copies will be made for the club.

The raid shut down the club at 2476 S. Industrial Road for 14 hours, forcing the club to borrow cash registers from Western Cash Register. The nine seized registers cost more than $10,000 apiece, Sgro said.

Rizzolo has been linked over the years to several organized crime figures, including Joseph Cusumano, once a top lieutenant of slain mob kingpin Anthony Spilotro. Rizzolo has said he no longer associates with Cusumano.

There have also been allegations of beatings at the club.