Galardi’s father trying to buy clubs

Friday, Oct. 24, 2003 | 10:57 a.m.

Jack Galardi is trying to take control of all three of the Las Vegas strip clubs owned by his embattled son, Michael Galardi, the elder's lawyer said this morning.

"He's in negotiations to buy his son's interests in those clubs," attorney Dominic Gentile said. "We're hoping to get something accomplished within the next week."

Michael Galardi, who's at the center of political corruption investigations in Las Vegas and San Diego, owns Cheetahs in Las Vegas and Jaguars and Leopard Lounge in Clark County.

Galardi's licenses to operate the three clubs were jeopardized after he pleaded guilty Sept. 8 in San Diego to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in an alleged scheme to bribe three San Diego councilmen. He is cooperating in the San Diego probe and is believed to be working out a similar deal with federal prosecutors in a parallel corruption investigation.

At a status check in federal court in the San Diego case on Thursday, attorneys representing the three councilmen and other defendants, including former Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone, said they expected the case won't go to trial for another 18 months because of the massive amount of FBI wiretaps that must be reviewed.

Las Vegas officials, meanwhile, are preparing a disciplinary complaint that could lead to the revocation of the license, shared by Jack and Michael Galardi, to operate Cheetahs. The City Council will take up the matter on Nov. 5.

Gentile is helping Jack Galardi, who is not a target of the FBI investigations in Las Vegas and San Diego, win approval from the city officials to put Cheetahs solely in his name.

Gentile also has informed Clark County officials, who have been pressing Michael Galardi to sell Jaguars and Leopard Lounge, that he's in negotiations on Jack Galardi's behalf to buy the two clubs.

The negotiations are said to be at arm's length because the father and son have not had an amicable relationship for months.

Gentile, meanwhile, said he didn't expect the San Diego criminal case to go to trial until the winter of 2004-2005 because defense lawyers will need at least a year to listen to all of the government's secretly recorded tapes. He said he was told that more than 70,000 phone calls were monitored by FBI agents.

The Las Vegas lawyer, who represents Malone in the San Diego and Las Vegas investigations, said his client was not going to be striking any deals with the government in those cases.

"Lance Malone is going to trial and the truth will come out at trial," Gentile said.

The names of Clark County Commission Chairwoman Mary Kincaid-Chauncey and former commissioners Erin Kenny and Dario Herrera have surfaced as targets in the Las Vegas investigation, which focuses on the political influence wielded by Michael Galardi.

Kenny has reportedly told friends and supporters that she has struck a deal and is cooperating with the authorities.

Kincaid-Chauncey and Herrera all reportedly have not not made any pre-indictment agreements with the government.

The three San Diego city councilmen, Malone, Michael Galardi and a Galardi employee, John D'Intino, were indicted by a federal grand jury investigating bribery charges. Prosecutors say Galardi tried to change laws regulating strip clubs by giving illegal campaign contributions to the councilmen.

Along with Galardi, D'Intino pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the investigation.