Strip Joint Near St. Charles May Close

The only strip joint in Kane County could close after county officials narrowly voted down a liquor license request by the two people who are considering buying it, the Daily Herald reports.

According to the Daily Herald account, Blackjacks Gentlemen’s Club on Route 25 between Elgin and St. Charles has been operating without a liquor license for about a year. The county reduced the number of its liquor licenses — specifically, the one held by Blackjacks — about a year ago, after its owners pleaded guilty in February 2012 to federal charges related to the club and an illegal Internet gambling operation.

The Kane County Board on Tuesday voted 11-10 to deny a liquor license application by Debra Diaz and Seif El Sharif, operating as DD&SS Inc., which has been exploring the purchase of the strip joint for two years, according to the the Daily Herald.

The club’s future has been in question since September, when St. Charles Patch reported that owners Anthony Buttitta of St. Charles and his father, Dominic Buttitta of South Barrington, were sentenced to federal prison after they pleaded guilty to skimming millions of dollars from the strip club and charges related to a separate illegal Internet gambling business.

The two were scheduled to begin serving their federal prison sentences in January, the FBI said in September, when the two were sentenced. The younger Buttitta was sentenced to 2½ years in prison; the elder Buttitta was sentenced to 18 months. The two men also were ordered to pay nearly $1.31 million in restitution to the IRS and forfeit an additional $400,000 to the United States.

Related:

• St. Charles Patch, Sept. 10, 2012:
• Daily Herald, April 9, 2013: Would-be Blackjacks buyers denied liquor license

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