Crazy
Horse Too articles in the Philadelphia Daily News - Nov. 5 - Dec. 22,
2005
Philadelphia Daily News
November 5, 2005
By CATHERINE LUCEY luceyc@phillynews.com
LOOK OUT, South Philly - Sin City is moving in.
Despite outrage from the community and politicians, an imported Vegas
strip club is under construction on the southern tip of Columbus
Boulevard.
Called Crazy Horse Too, it's a massive, flashy establishment that has
had run-ins with the feds in Vegas. Its owner is reportedly connected
to the mob.
"We're oversaturated with adult entertainment. We don't need and we
don't want it," said Robert C. Blackburn, president of the local
community group, the Whitman Council Neighorhood Advisory Committee.
"We are against establishments like that in our neighborhood," he said.
State Sen. Vincent Fumo has joined the battle against Crazy Horse,
trying to get its liquor license investigated. But the Liquor Control
Board claims there are no grounds.
So construction continues on the desolate industrial site on Columbus
Boulevard below Oregon Avenue. A large brick building with white-framed
windows is already up. The Crazy Horse Web site touts a January opening.
The club did not return calls from the Daily News for comment.
Crazy Horse Too in Vegas is a 24-hour complex staffed by 1,500 women
that makes roughly $1 million a month, according to a recent Las Vegas
Sun story.
But not all of that money may be clean.
Last January, a club manager was indicted and charged with federal
racketeering and tax charges. The indictment alleges that club
employees extorted money from customers through threats.
And while Crazy Horse Too's owner, Rick Rizzolo, has not been hit with
any charges, he is under investigation for federal racketeering and tax
evasion, according to the Las Vegas press.
Rizzolo has also repeatedly been accused of being linked to the Mafia.
A Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist recently reported that Rizzolo had
been at an organized-crime dinner in Chicago over the summer, attended
by mob boss Joey "the Clown" Lombardo.
Industry sources say the South Philly site has been owned unofficially
for several years by a Romeo Coscia, of Chester Springs, Pa.
Coscia's name doesn't show up on the titles or liquor licenses - family
members and other connections are listed - likely because court records
show that he has a prison record. But sources said he was the
decision-maker for the property.
He has been shopping around a strip club project on the site for years,
sources said. And Crazy Horse came into the picture at least a year ago.
No working phone number could be found for Coscia.
Thus far, the neighbors have not been able to do much about the club,
Blackburn said.
"We're told they have all their paperwork in order," he explained. "By
the time we found out about it, they had the liquor license."
Fumo sent a letter to the Liquor Control Board asking that it review
the establishment's license and schedule a hearing for community
complaints.
"Neighbors have concerns about the type of establishment proposed for
this location, as well as the character of those in control of the
license," reads the Oct. 12 letter.
But the board replied that there were no grounds to re-examine the
licensee. There is no ongoing investigation into the license or the
club, a spokeswoman said.
Fumo's spokesman, Gary "it's not a Tuma" Tuma, said the senator was
still considering his options regarding the club.
"He's hopeful that as more information becomes available, the board may
choose to reconsider," Tuma said.
State Rep. William Keller is also opposed to the club. He thinks there
could be a better use for the land.
"I think that's prime port industrial land," he said. "I think we need
to preserve all land south of the Walt Whitman Bridge."
Blackburn said his group would support any efforts against the club.
"We're absolutely dead-set against it," he said.
Copyright (c) 2005 Philadelphia Daily News
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Philadelphia Daily News
November 22, 2005
Strip club draws neighborhood ire
CATHERINE LUCEY luceyc@phillynews.com
Community activists and politicians vowed yesterday to try to shut down
the Vegas strip club under construction in South Philly.
"We won't go quietly," vowed Bob Blackburn, president of the Whitman
Council Neighborhood Advisory Committee, after a press conference held
a few blocks from the construction site.
Blackburn called for an emergency meeting with Mayor Street to discuss
the club, Crazy Horse Too, which is under construction on Columbus
Boulevard below Oregon Avenue. The club's Web site advertises a January
opening.
A meeting with the mayor was not scheduled yesterday.
But mayoral spokesman Joe Grace said the office would listen to
concerns.
"We will wait to hear from the community group and the district Council
person, and we'll listen to their concerns very carefully," he said.
The Daily News reported yesterday that a club manager has been charged
with federal offenses and that the owner has alleged Mafia ties.
Blackburn was joined at the conference by state Rep. William Keller,
William McLaughlin of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, and
aides to state Sen. Vincent Fumo and Council President Anna Verna.
Fumo has written the Liquor Control Board asking it to reinvestigate
the club's liquor license.
Fumo aide Robert Theil said the LCB had told Fumo's office yesterday
that it planned to refer the case to the state police.
"If they can't have a liquor license, they can't go forward," said
Theil. "Hopefully at the end of the day, this will be stopped."
And McLaughlin said the Port Authority opposes the use of the land for
a strip bar.
"It is utterly inappropriate," he said, noting that the Port Authority
plans to see if it can supercede the zoning for the club.
Rep. Keller also said he believes there's a better use for the land.
"We've been opposed to this from day one," he said. "Anything that robs
us of port land."
A call to Crazy Horse Too in Las Vegas was not returned yesterday.
A club manager was indicted in January on federal racketeering and
tax-violation charges. The club's owner, Rick Rizzolo, allegedly has
mob ties, according to the Las Vegas press.
llustration: PHOTO
JESSICA GRIFFIN/Daily News
State Rep. Bill Keller lists reasons why Crazy Horse Too club is not
welcome in his district.
Copyright (c) 2005 Philadelphia Daily News
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Philadelphia Daily News
December 22, 2005
Section: EDITORIAL OPINION
LETTERS
NOT CRAZY ABOUT CRAZY HORSE
AS A board member of the Whitman Council Neighborhood Advisory
Committee, I can say that Catherine Lucey's article (Here's Some Nudes
For You, Nov. 21) was right on target. There is outrage and opposition
to the opening of Crazy Horse Too, a new gentleman's club in the
Whitman section of Philadelphia.
The Liquor Control Board claims there are no grounds to investigate the
establishments liquor license. What greater grounds, than opposition
from the people who matter the most, the residents who reside in the
community?
I applaud the efforts of Sen. Vincent Fumo for promptly responding to
the community's complaints, and hopefully, with his help and the
combined efforts of the Whitman Council, the Liquor Control Board will
reconsider.
Crazy Horse Too is an import from Las Vegas, and while this type of
establishment may be common in Las Vegas and even welcomed in Sin City
- it is not welcomed in the Whitman section of South Philadelphia!
Fred Druding, Jr.
Board Member
Whitman Council
Philadelphia
Copyright (c) 2005 Philadelphia Daily News