In a post Friday I quoted a former dancer who claimed that clubowner Matt Barrow was conscientious about the law and that he strictly forbade both drugs and sex with customers. She expressed doubt about investigators' claims that Barrow and club managers were aware of and profited from the dancers' illegal activities.
The South Florida media is still waiting for Boynton Beach Police to
file the incident reports in connection with the October 30 raid of
Platinum Showgirls, the alleged site of prostitution and drug-dealing.
But while we wait for those incident reports, let's take a closer look at what we know about the evidence in the case so far. It's contained in a probable cause affidavit, which contains decidedly pornographic language -- the type that you're not going to see on the network affiliates or daily papers.
It gets sleazy, after the jump.
The investigation, by the Boynton Beach Police Department Community Action Team, started in the first week of June, based on a tip of drugs, prostitution and alcohol-serving violations. The four-month investigation, provided a basis for 67 criminal charges.
On June 4, said the affidavit, "officers purchased cocaine from a dancer (when club manager Matthew) Willig was standing approximately 15 feet away and looking constantly in our direction." It recounts similar drug deals in each of the next three months -- none of which Willig took a direct role, but all of which happened within a proximity of 10-15 feet from him.
There are a slew of drug sales noted in the report, each sounding similar: The officer asks about drugs. The stripper then lists what she's got in her stash, then comes back from the dressing room with it.
Another manager, Gregory Lenox, was charged with felony public nuisance based on his being present during several sex acts by Platinum Showgirls dancers. The affidavit describes how dancers "agreed to provide a friction dance where one penetrated her vagina with her fingers while bending over. At this time the other dancer then gave the other oral sex." In that case, said the officer, Lenox was "five feet away and watching the acts."
That was in September, as was another alleged illegal sex act, when an officer describes being approached by two dancers, one of whom "started to lick the other's nipples."
Officer can see that manager Lenox had approached his table and was approximately five feet away watching the acts. the dancers then moved over the couch where one dancer had laid down and moved her panties to the side, exposing her vagina. The other dancer penetrated her fingers inside her vagina while the other performed oral sex.Lenox is also said to have been present during another very explicit encounter, on September 10, involving two dancers of Caribbean descent, Ann Fletcher and Jeeny Elan:
I sat at the table and each of the girls straddled on of my legs and began rubbing my groin. Both girls attempted to place their hands down the inside of my pants. A the table Jeeny began asking me to take them to a private room, telling me how horny she was and stated, 'I want your cock between my tits... you can give me a pearl necklace." Ann was licking Jeeny's nipples and stated, 'Yeah, then I can lick it up. You can be our Oreao tonight, chocolate on both sides."After the officer agreed to this, he reported seeing the club's alleged "madam," Lily Gibeaut. While Ann and Jeeny allegedly gave each oral sex, the price for that room was negotiated -- $100. But it would cost more for the girls.While this was happening Gregory Lenox approached and dircled the table, looking at me very carefully. After some more conversation Ann stated, 'Why don't you get a dance and we can give you a preview?'
Lily asked Jeeny how much (the dancers) wanted and they whispered together for a moment. Lily then told me it would be $250 per girl for 30 minutes. I asked Ann what I could get in the back for that much money. Ann replied, 'I can't wait to suck you... you touch us, we touch you.'Fletcher and Elan were both charged with prostitution. On another occasion, a dancer identified as Maria Jean-Louis Stanley allegedly tried to convince an officer to stay in the club, offering that he could "have fun with me." She continued:
'We did the dance, now we can go to the next step and I can make you come.' I then asked Maria what I could get and she rsponded, 'Well, we gotta get a room, which is $250, and I'll jerk you. But if you want more we can talk about it.'She was also charged with soliciting prostitution. The affidavit also notes that during the investigation, the department received two citizen complaints, which alleged that drug-dealing and prostitution occurred with the sanction of Barrow and the other managers, who were said to have shared in their profits.
As mentioned in the post Friday, the critical question is whether there's video evidence of what police describe in the club. It's evident from the affidavit that the allegation of drug-dealing is backed by more investigative material than the prostitution charges.
