KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasFederal Agents Storm Crazy Horse Too
Bobby D'Apice
(Jan. 19) -- Federal agents stormed into a local topless club Wednesday and arrested three employees as part of a racketeering probe.
The raid at the Crazy Horse Too is the latest incident in a wide-ranging federal investigation of the club and its owner -- a probe that may stretch back ten years.
Shortly after noon, as many as dozen FBI agents closed in on the Crazy Horse Too on Industrial Road and arrested manager Bobby D'Apice. Also arrested were D'Apice's wife and a Crazy Horse Too cashier. But it's a safe bet that those arrested Wednesday are not the real targets. Federal lawmen are really after d'Apice's boss, club owner Rick Rizzolo.
An attorney associated with the Crazy Horse Too told the Eyewitness News I-Team on Tuesday that an arrest of D'Apice was expected soon. Back in December, D'Apice's Las Vegas home was raided by IRS and FBI agents, reportedly looking for evidence of tax evasion. D'Apice's name also surfaced back in late 2001 after a patron of the club was beaten and paralyzed. No criminal charges were ever filed, but D'Apice has been named in a civil suit.
The I-Team spoke briefly by phone Wednesday with Crazy Horse owner Rick Rizzolo who said he thinks the arrest of D'Apice is part of a larger investigation of Rizzolo himself, and that the IRS and FBI are trying to turn D'Apice into a witness against the club.
Next month marks the two-year anniversary of a larger FBI raid on the Crazy Horse during which 80 agents seized financial records and cash. An attorney for the club says that the FBI has been investigating a host of allegations about the Crazy Horse for more than a decade, although no case has ever been put together. The club has been told to expect some sort of criminal indictment early this year, most likely toward the end of March.
The arrest of D'Apice was based on two indictments -- one for income tax evasion and a second for racketeering and perjury related to the assault on the club patron more than three years ago. D'Apice told Rizzolo last month that federal agents wanted to cut a deal, letting him walk on these charges if he would testify against Rizzolo.
The big question now? Will D'Apice become a witness, and if so, what information might he provide about the Crazy Horse, its owner and others?
Updating another federal investigation focused on the local topless industry, a federal judge has set a March date to hear the latest motions in the G-Sting political corruption probe.
As the I-Team reported last Friday, attorneys for former county commissioner Lance Malone have asked that all charges be dropped on the grounds alleged misconduct by federal agents and prosecutors in manufacturing the case against Malone for allegedly trying to bribe city councilmen in San Diego.
The judge says he will hear arguments on this motion on March 7 in Southern California. Additional charges against Malone and other political figures are pending here in Las Vegas.
Click here to contact I-Team Investigative Reporter George Knapp
