Lawyer among 4 drugged victims stripped of $200K in scheme, authorities say
A real estate attorney was among 4 drugged victims taken for nearly $200,000 in a New York City nightclub scheme conducted by a crew of strippers, authorities say.
Four women who work as exotic dancers face charges including assault, grand larceny and forgery in the Manhattan case, the Associated Press reports. They are accused of meeting with victims in upscale Manhattan and Long Island bars, spiking their drinks with drugs such as methylone and then driving the men to strip clubs where, too wasted to object, the victims were allegedly charged tens of thousands of dollars for services.
Those who objected to paying the credit card bills were threatened with having their relationships with the women exposed, authorities say.
“The defendants were banking on the victims being too afraid to contact the police, but as the indictment and arrests show, they made a serious miscalculation,” prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan said.
None of the victims was publicly identified by authorities. The strip clubs in question, Scores and the RoadHouse, did not immediately respond to Wednesday phone messages, the AP article says.
A cardiologist sued by Scores last month over an unpaid bill exceeding $135,000 raised a similar defense, contending that he “was drugged by plaintiff’s employees and thus did not authorize the charges,” according to a court filing. However, the club contends this claim is contradicted by video footage showing that the defendant was a willing repeat patron.
The New York Daily News and the New York Post also have stories.
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration cooperated with New York City police in conducting an undercover investigation in the case.
