Upstate Strip Club Owner Says Business will not Close Despite Federal Seizure Efforts

Despite a looming forfeiture attempt by the federal government, the owner of an Upstate New York strip club is standing firm and insisting his business isn’t going anywhere.

Peter Gerace, currently incarcerated in Chautauqua County Jail, remains unshaken following a motion filed by federal authorities to seize Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club. Gerace was found guilty earlier this year of operating the Cheektowaga establishment as a front for drug distribution and sex trafficking activities. Prosecutors argue that the club was a hub for illegal behavior, supported by testimony from former employees and patrons.

Gerace has already sold his home in Clarence, reportedly for over a million dollars, to fund his legal defense. He contends that the government’s narrative is built on unreliable witnesses, some of whom he claims had personal grudges or were incentivized to testify.

He has maintained that multiple previous investigations - including federal raids in both 2009 and 2019 - produced no conclusive evidence. According to Gerace, federal agents reviewed weeks of surveillance footage without uncovering any proof of the criminal conduct alleged in court.

Authorities, however, relied heavily on witness accounts to build their case. Testimonies depicted a venue where illegal drug use and sex-for-money transactions were commonplace. Prosecutors maintain that these firsthand accounts, supported by a broader investigation, paint an accurate picture of what occurred behind closed doors.

In a related legal development, Gerace is also facing charges under a separate indictment. He and others are accused of plotting to kill a potential witness connected to the Pharaoh’s investigation.

That witness, Crystal Quinn, a former employee of the club, died in 2023 from what officials determined was a drug overdose. Prosecutors allege the death may have been orchestrated to appear accidental. Gerace, however, describes Quinn as a close friend and claims she had been under extreme duress due to threats of imprisonment from prosecutors.

Gerace’s defense team has been seeking access to grand jury transcripts related to Quinn’s testimony, arguing that her statements were manipulated. Although a magistrate judge agreed to privately review the documents for potential inconsistencies, federal prosecutors recently moved to block that review, requesting intervention from a higher court.

As he awaits sentencing, Gerace continues to deny the charges against him. Despite the setbacks and the forfeiture threat, he remains adamant that his club will not be taken from him.

Upstate Strip Club Owner Says Business will not Close Despite Federal Seizure Efforts