N.Y. Lawyer Indicted on Charges of Promoting Prostitution at Strip Club

Legal Ethics

N.Y. Lawyer Indicted on Charges of Promoting Prostitution at Strip Club

Posted Sep 5, 2008, 10:12 am CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss

New York tax lawyer Louis Posner was indicted yesterday on charges he ran a prostitution ring at his strip joint, the Hot Lap Dance Club.

The indictment charges Posner with promoting prostitution, money laundering and falsifying business records, the New York Law Journal reports. Published reports at the time of his arrest in July said Posner was accused of laundering the club’s profits through a voter reform group he founded.

Prosecutors claim club patrons paid as much as $5,000 for sex with dancers there.

In jail after his arrest, Posner told the New York Daily News he was unaware of any illegal activities at the club. "I'm just flabbergasted,” he said. “I'm shocked, shocked."

Posner pleaded not guilty at his arraignment yesterday. His wife, Betty, pleaded not guilty to a charge of falsifying business records. Authorities say she was not aware of prostitution at the club, the New York Daily News reports. Posner said in his earlier interview that his wife was not involved with the club and never did anything more than make brownies for the staff.

Hat tip to TaxProf Blog.