Owner defends his efforts at Go Go Cabaret

By Marc Kovac

COLUMBUS — The owner of the Go Go Cabaret in Austintown Township told state liquor officials Tuesday that he is doing everything he can to thwart illegal activities on his premises.

Sebastian Rucci, in testimony before the Ohio Liquor Control Commission, said he continues to implement new security precautions to stop drug sales and use and prostitution at the club.

“I never knew that they were selling drugs, and I had no reason to promote that,” Rucci said, regarding a police investigation that ended with convictions of club employees who sold drugs on site.

He added later, “The only thing that I could do at that time is to keep trying to increase security. … Some of the things we learned after the raid. ... I think we did as much as we could. ... I don’t think we could solve what we didn’t see.”

Rucci’s appearance Tuesday came on the second day of testimony before the three-member state commission.

The panel will decide in the next couple of weeks whether violations occurred at the business and whether the club should have its license revoked or face fines and/or be forced to close.

The case is separate from an appeal the liquor control commission will hear in February of an earlier decision not to renew the Go Go Cabaret’s liquor license.

On Monday, the commission heard more than four hours of testimony, mostly from Detective Sgt. Jeff Solic, who described instances in which employees sold or offered heroin and crack cocaine to confidential informants.

Investigators noted nine violations at the business between Jan. 9 and May 1, according to citations considered by the liquor commission.

Most were related to illegal drug possession and sales, with one incident in which an employee offered oral sex for money.

Solic showed several clips from the cabaret’s in-house video- surveillance system that showed dancers engaged in sexual activities in which they had inappropriate contact with customers in private rooms.

He reviewed pictures of drugs that were found on the site after a police raid earlier this year. He played an audio clip of a dancer at the club offering oral sex to an informant for money — $100 for a half an hour of activity. Subsequent lab reports identified semen on the walls and curtains of some rooms.

But James Vitullo, legal counsel representing the business, questioned Solic on why other adult clubs in the vicinity were not subject to the same scrutiny, despite repeated police reports containing criminal complaints.

Solic said he hasn’t investigated other adult businesses in the area because he had not received complaints about them. He said the Go Go has a reputation for illegal drug use and trafficking and sexual activities.

On Tuesday, witnesses representing the club offered testimony about the policies in place to prevent illegal activities.

“We did very thorough checks on the girls, as far as what they brought in the club,” said Rick Thomas, one of the club’s managers who was on hand the night of the police raid.

“Of course, we had a camera situation in the club that’s just incredible. ... There’s a person that constantly observes every movement of every activity in the club.”

There are strict policies against drug use and sales and prostitution, and employees sign contracts agreeing there will be no “penetration, no type of sexual activities,” and “no touching of private parts” whatsoever, Thomas said. Those who break the policy are fired.

In recent months, employees’ purses and belongings have been routinely checked for drugs.

The club also had a “cash for trash” program, in which employees were paid for information about drugs or prostitution on the premises, he said.

“As far as the cabaret is concerned, I really feel that they do as much if not more than any club that I’ve seen,” said Thomas, who has managed clubs in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Other testimony came from a security guard who checked patrons identification cards; an employee who watched monitors of activities going on in private rooms; a stripper who talked about the zero-tolerance policies against illegal activities at the club; and a bartender, disc jockey and entertainment manager who said they had not witnessed drug sales in the months before the police raid.

Commission members questioned Rucci about the effectiveness of security policies at the club, given the violations noted before the May police raid.

“We’re presented with [video] tapes that have gaps; we’re presented with pictures that show [illegal drugs] on the floor; we’re presented with DNA samples that show pretty much semen everywhere,” said commission member Robert Gardner.

“And it sounds like you’re sincere enough, it truly does. But at the same time, it sounds like the ball was definitely being dropped and there was definitely some shortcomings in your procedures.”

“What I can tell you, as we were learning how to control the place, we got better and better at it,” Rucci said.

mkovac@dixcom.com