Strip club may get temporary liquor license

Friday, Jan. 16, 2004 | 11 a.m.

Clark County commissioners may allow the strip club Jaguars to reopen and serve alcohol as soon as Tuesday if they approve month-by-month liquor licenses for the club, officials said.

Commissioners are scheduled to consider the temporary arrangement at a special liquor and gaming board meeting Tuesday at 8:55 a.m., when commissioners will also look at issuing a month-by-month license to Jack Galardi's Pink Pony, formerly Leopard Lounge.

The monthly licenses would allow Metro to continue its investigation into the licensing suitability of Galardi and the people leasing Jaguars from him, County Manager Thom Reilly said.

"Metro is not in the position to recommend against licensing, but they want to reserve an opportunity if anything arises to be able to come to the board on a month-to-month basis," Reilly said.

The licenses for Jaguars would be issued to Richard Gonzales and Randy Miller, whose company is currently leasing the club from Galardi. Galardi is personally seeking a license to serve alcohol at Pink Pony.

If the commission approves the licenses, the clubs would be subject to a final inspection and sign-off from the department of business license before they could open.

Both topless clubs were owned by Galardi's son Michael Galardi before the younger Galardi pleaded guilty last year to federal corruption charges in Las Vegas and San Diego and was forced to give the clubs up as part of his plea agreement.

Jaguars struggled to remain open for three days after the commission revoked its liquor license Dec. 16, deeming Jack Galardi unsuitable to possess a privileged license. The club could not make money only serving soft drinks and juice, Jack Galardi's lawyer, Dominic Gentile, said at the time.

District Court Judge Jennifer Togliatti on Dec. 23 denied Gentile's request for a temporary restraining order that would have prevented the county from enforcing its revocation.

Jack Galardi was not charged in the probe into his son's business dealings, but four of his clubs in Tampa, Fla., are under investigation after Tampa police raided four of his Galardi South Enterprises strip clubs there. Police seized business records, cash and paraphernalia and arrested four club managers and an executive for Galardi South Enterprises, alleging the strip clubs were fronts for prostitution.

The Tampa Tribune newspaper reported the Hillsborough County state attorney's office filed a lawsuit last week seeking the clubs be forfeited.

Galardi issued a public apology through his company after the arrests and fired everyone who was arrested, the Tampa Tribune reported.

County officials have repeatedly said the Tampa investigation will not immediately affect Galardi's license application here, but it will be included in Metro's own investigation.

The Las Vegas City Council voted last week to allow Galardi to keep his liquor license for Cheetahs, the club he had co-owned with his son, but fined his company La Fuente $1.1 million because of Michael Galardi's criminal acts. The council gave Galardi's La Fuente 30 days to pay the fine.

Neither Gentile nor Jacqueline Holloway, Clark County business license director, were available for comment this morning.