About 20 people have filed a lawsuit against an Arizona strip club chain, alleging they were drugged and scammed out of a collective $1.1 million in VIP lounges.
Three clubs located on the same two-mile road – Bones Cabaret, Skin Cabaret, Dream Palace – have been named in the latest lawsuit filed in January, according to documents recovered by Fox 10 Phoenix.
Some plaintiffs alleged they were drugged and then scammed out of six-figure sums at these establishments.
The alleged victims described the incidents as “life- and career-altering” and “emotionally quite difficult to bear.”
Todd Borowsky, the owner of the bars spread between Scottsdale and Tempe, has faced several accusations, including extortion and conspiracy.
Borowsky, who runs his business under Wisnowski Inc., called the allegations “baseless,” in a statement through his attorney.
Nearly 20 alleged victims have filed a lawsuit against a strip club chain in Arizona, alleging they were drugged and scammed out of a staggering collective $1.1 million at VIP lounges (pictured: Bones Cabaret).
Dennis Wilenchick, a lawyer representing the club’s owner, compared the claims to going to a casino and “asking for your money back.”
He also vehemently denied allegations that the plaintiffs were high and claimed that the dancers were “independent contractors.”
“Third, these guys received services that they expressly contracted for and received, and documentation and photographs were taken, and fourth, their credit card companies also investigated and approved the transactions,” he told Fox 10.
However, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, Rod Galarza, stated that all of the alleged victims tell the “same story” after visiting one of the three clubs, despite never having met each other.
Reiterating his version of events, Galarza said some remember an individual yelling at them to “stop being stupid” and to sign a paper, while others remember a flight attendant or a doorman yelling at them to smile and sit upright for photographs. .
A member of the Air Force, who goes by the alias Joe, was charged a staggering $72,000 on his credit cards after visiting one of the clubs.
Describing the incident as “life- and career-altering”, Joe said his night took a turn after losing his friends while going to the toilet.
The alleged victims, who say they were scammed out of large sums of money, have described the incidents as “life- and career-altering” and “emotionally quite difficult to bear” (pictured: Dream Palace).
Comparing the alleged experience to “watching a movie through (his) own eyes,” according to his version of events, the Air Force member was greeted by clouds of perfume or powdery makeup before arriving at a VIP lounge.
“I started having these symptoms that weren’t alcohol related, something else that made me accept and follow what they seemed to be pushing,” the post says.
Although Joe had never taken a drug test, he said, “I felt like I had no control of the situation and that was really the first case I knew about.”
Scottsdale Police Department financial crimes detectives said Joe’s testimony matched that of several other clubgoers.
They also said they experienced memory loss, signed documents and left clubs with huge credit card charges, according to court documents seen by Fox.
Like Joe, another plaintiff, who goes by the alias Bobby, alleged that he had “scattered” and had “no idea” where he was after arriving at the VIP room.
Calling the alleged experience “emotionally difficult to bear,” Bobby discovered he had spent a whopping $181,000 at the nightclub.
The father said he remembered paying for some drinks and a private dance, but did not remember approving any other transactions.
Not believing the huge transactions were legitimate, Bobby said it “seemed unconscionable” that large numbers of individual transactions could be processed.
Following the incident, the man, who has young children, said he was unable to eat for several days.
Bobby said it not only affected him, but it put a strain on his entire family, having to inform his parents and wife about what had supposedly happened.
Todd Borowsky, owner of the three clubs located on the same two-mile road – Bones Cabaret, Skin Cabaret, Dream Palace – denies the allegations leveled against him in the lawsuit (pictured: Skin Cabaret)
According to the publication, police reports included in the lawsuit filing state that clubgoers who wanted to attend a VIP room were required to provide a credit card, identification, fingerprint and take a photo after negotiating a price.
The alleged victims, who filed the lawsuit, said they did not remember or only vaguely remembered signing contracts at the three clubs, court documents show.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and the Scottsdale Police Department have confirmed that they are aware of the allegations that have been made against the club chain.
According to Fox 10, they are also working with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office on cases against strip clubs.
MailOnline has contacted the Arizona Attorney General’s office for comment.