Former part-owner, head doorman at Pure plead guilty to federal tax charges

By Sun Staff (contact)

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 | 6:31 p.m.

Two former associates at Pure Nightclub have pleaded guilty to federal tax charges, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Steve Davidovici, formerly a part-owner and manager of Pure, and Mikel Hasen, a former head doorman at Pure, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas to one count of filing a false federal income tax return for the 2006 tax year, the Justice Department said in a news release.

According to information disclosed at the plea hearings, during 2005, 2006 and 2007, some patrons made cash payments to Pure door personnel and VIP hosts to bypass the general admissions line and obtain more desirable seating. This money, which was paid in addition to fees charged for admission to the nightclub, “was collected, pooled and generally distributed on a weekly basis to the door personnel and VIP hosts as well as to managers of Pure such as Davidovici and Hasen,” the government said.

Davidovici and Hasen each concealed large amounts of the “tip pool” income from the IRS, the government said.

Sentencing for Davidovici and Hasen is scheduled for June 27.

Two VIP hosts under Davidovici’s supervision, Ali (Sean) Olyaie and Richard Chu, also have pleaded guilty to tax crimes for failing to report income earned at Pure.

Olyaie and Chu also are awaiting sentencing on June 27.

U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson presided over Tuesday's plea hearings.