Fox News | November 1, 2025
*By Sarah Rumpf-Whitten*
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A group of strip club executives allegedly bribed a New York state tax auditor with cash, luxury Florida trips, and lap dances worth thousands of dollars a day to slash millions from their tax bills, according to a sweeping indictment by Attorney General Letitia James.
The 79-count indictment accuses top leaders of RCI Hospitality Holdings Inc., the Texas-based parent company behind strip clubs Rick’s Cabaret, Vivid Cabaret, and Hoops Cabaret, of using their venues to disguise bribes as “promotional” expenses and avoid more than $8 million in sales taxes between 2010 and 2024.
Prosecutors say the auditor received at least 13 all-expenses-paid trips to Florida, where the company’s top leadership allegedly provided hotel rooms, restaurant meals, and up to $5,000 per day for private dances at RCI-owned clubs.
Federal defense attorney Ronald Chapman II described the allegations as “sensational” but cautioned they may not prove criminal intent once tested in court.
“When you look a little deeper, things start to look a little bit different,” Chapman told Fox News Digital. “This case reminds me of the [President] Trump financial-fraud case, where prosecutors in New York built a sweeping narrative around business judgments that may not actually violate the law.”
Chapman noted that prosecutors face an uphill battle to prove a quid pro quo and that the auditor’s decisions were directly influenced by the perks.
“It only turns into bribery when that is also done consistent with bad conduct, looking the other way on something,” he said. “I just don’t see that other side of the quid pro quo yet.”
He also questioned the timing of the charges, pointing to the embattled attorney general.
*(Excerpt)*
Read more at foxnews.com
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**Topics:** Business/Economy, Conspiracy, History, Local News
**Keywords:** auditor, bribe, taxes, trips
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