Friday, April 21, 2006 | 7:20 a.m.
If you think those wiretaps played in the G-Sting trial were sickening, sordid and salacious, you should hear the Rich Buonantony tape.
Buonantony was the general manager of Michael Galardi's strip clubs who testified briefly during the trial last week. But Buonantony, in an exclusive interview taped for "Face to Face" on Thursday, named more names and expressed bitterness about the double standard he says is being applied to his childhood friend, Galardi.
Buonantony insisted that while Galardi is "no angel, (he's) no Lucifer either. He's contributed. He's donated. But he's being made out to be a monster right now."
Buonantony, who like Galardi has lived here his whole life, obviously is standing up for his friend. But he was taking quite a chance coming on the program in the middle of the trial, days after his testimony. And much of what he said - like much of what Galardi has said - had a ring of truth.
Yes, Galardi exaggerates, Buonantony said. But the core of what he has told the government - that he paid off politicians so they would leave him alone - can be backed up by him and others, the former general manager said.
I asked this ultimate strip club insider if, as I have suspected, Galardi simply doesn't know the difference, as some politicians don't, between a campaign contribution and a bribe. "He does now," Buonantony retorted wryly.
Buonantony said after he read media accounts of Galardi's testimony, and the naming of so many public officials, he finally approached his pal two days ago and asked him who he did and didn't make payments to over the years:
"He said to me, 'Rich, I never bribed Oscar (Goodman). I never attempted to bribe Oscar, (County Commissioner Lynette) Boggs McDonald, (Judge Nancy) Saitta, Judge (Lee) Gates, (Toy) Gregory, (George) Assad.' As for Judge (Don) Mosley, he's been a family friend for years. Jack (Galardi) and him are close. He has raised tons of money for him. Never a bribe."
Buonantony obviously is frustrated and outraged that his friend is being portrayed as a sleazy flesh peddler while holier-than-thou public officials, many of whom frequented the clubs and accepted comps (at least) from Galardi, are treated differently and given the benefit of the doubt.
"For him, it was just doing business," Buonantony said of Galardi. "It was playing the game. It was one of those things where you gave money, and you were left alone. You gave money to make sure your business was going to be taken care of. If you're making $14 (million) or $15 million a year and it costs you $500,000 to insure that $14 million, what are you going to do?"
Buonantony also revealed on the program that he orchestrated the surreptitious recording of then-Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack receiving oral sex at Cheetahs. "If you want to know the truth, it was my idea," the ex-manager said. "I was the one who went ahead and said, 'Put the camera on him. He's going to get what he deserves one of these days.' "
Of all the politicians who came to the club, Mack was the most demanding and high-handed, Buonantony said, and had once issued an implied threat to pass a six-foot ordinance (mandated distance between patron and dancer) and once demanded food, drink and "two of your nastiest whores" when he came into the club one evening with a group of friends.
The Sun has reported that FBI agents suspected Mack of wrongdoing and actually tried to wire Galardi for a meeting with the councilman that never took place. Mack, of course, has denied wrongdoing after a council career marred by his open solicitation of city supplicants for contracts.
No wonder Galardi can't tell the difference between a bribe and a contribution. No wonder Buonantony is frustrated and outraged:
"One of the feds took (Galardi) aside and said to him: Can you imagine how many big businessmen right now are going, 'That could have been me.' Because they made donations, contributions ... Do you think Mike Galardi invented this? ... This is Las Vegas. You look around. There's a lot of people getting nice deals on land around here. I'm not saying all of the political people and attorneys are corrupt. I'm not saying that. I'm saying if I give you money, and I get left alone, no one gets hurt. A lot of people didn't see what was wrong with that."
And, you have to figure, they still don't.
(The program airs again at 11 this morning, a transcript of the Buonantony interview will be available today at www.vegaspundit.typepad.com and streaming video of the interview can be found at www.klastv.com later today.)
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