Gold Club owner Steve Kaplan and some of his co-defendants have had extortion and drug charges tacked onto a case which already had them alleged as a mob-tied den of prostitution and fraud - and of running a club where some of professional sports' more glittering names paid for and got sex and other treats. nrnThese charges say Kaplan and others of knowing cocaine, Ecstasy, and GHB (also known as the date rape drug) were sold, passed around, and used by Gold Club workers and customers. nrnThe new charges were brought in by a federal grand jury May 18. They include extortion, credit card and wire fraud, and running a business which made drug trafficking possible. It's said to replace the original indictment charging Kaplan and sixteen others with organized crime connections, money laundering, police corruption, and loansharking, among other charges. nrnKaplan also faces extortion charges involving Scores, an adult club in New York City. He's accused of prying $100,000 from the club's owners with a little help from the Gambino Family. nrnDrug charges didn't figure in the first indictment, but the search warrant that led to it included accusations that club officials kept cocaine in a cooler on the premises and making drug runs in dancers' cars. nrnThe credit card and wire fraud charges in the new indictment are based on how the Gold Club and its workers sold overpriced drinks and bottles of champagne - some bottles up to $400 each - and furtively dumped champagne out to encourage customers to buy more. nrnAt least one of Kaplan's former associates - Jeffrey Johnson, who formerly managed the Gold Club - is cooperating with authorities after pleading guilty.
All models were at least 18 years old at the time of their performance. 18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement.
