Bios of the six men indicted

Here's a look at the six men named in the federal indictment unsealed today:

Frank Colacurcio Sr., who turned 92 this month, has been Seattle's most notorious crime figure for decades, overseeing strip clubs during much of that time.

The eldest of nine children of Italian immigrants, Colacurcio Sr. notched his first criminal conviction — for "carnal knowledge" with a teenage girl — at age 25. He served 16 months in prison. Colacurcio was represented in that case by future Washington Gov. Albert Rosellini, who has remained friends with Colacurcio for many years.

In the 1950s, he was labeled as a racketeer before a U.S. Senate committee, accused of using threats and violence to control the local jukebox and cigarette vending business. Starting in the 1960s, he built a topless bar and strip-club empire that eventually spanned 10 Western states.

Colacurcio Sr., who lives in a modest home in Lake Forest Park, has complained that investigators have harassed his legitimate business out of prudishness or prejudice. "They have been investigating me since the time I was born," he said in 2007.

In 1969, Colacurcio Sr. was convicted of assaulting a former bartender working as a police informant. Two years later, he was convicted of federal racketeering and conspiracy charges related to illegal bingo activities. He served 25 months in prison. Prosecutors also linked him to a payoff scheme in which local police received payoffs to tolerate illegal gambling.

In 1981 and again in 1991 Colacurcio Sr. was convicted of tax fraud for skimming cash from his strip clubs, serving a total of five years in prison. In 1995, he was sent back to prison for two more years after violating his probation by fondling a woman who'd applied for a job at one of his clubs.

Last year, he pleaded guilty for his role in the so-called "Strippergate" scandal, admitting he had laundered campaign donations to Seattle City Council members in 2003 through associates to dodge contribution limits. Colacurcio Sr. avoided jail, but agreed to pay $75,000 in fines.

Rosellini, who served as governor from 1957 to 1965, helped deliver some of the checks, but was not charged in the case.

Colacurcio has maintained a "leadership role" in the strip-club operations, including determining how to respond to law enforcement activities, according to a federal indictment unsealed today.

Frank Colacurcio Jr., 47, of Seattle, is the heir to his father's strip club empire, which has waned in recent years as cities have restricted nude dancing.

Colacurcio Jr. was convicted of tax evasion along with his father in 1991, and sentenced to about six months in prison.

Last year, Colacurcio Jr. joined his father in pleading guilty to funneling illegal campaign contributions in the "Strippergate" case. That came after years of denials. When first approached by reporters in 2003, Colacurcio Jr. claimed he had no idea why dozens of his friends and associates had developed a sudden interest in Seattle City Council races.

"My memory is short-lived on these things," he said.

Despite his legal woes, Colacurcio Jr. and other local strip-club owners won a victory in 2006, financing a successful referendum campaign overturning a strict new Seattle law requiring strippers to stay at least four feet away from customers.

John Gilbert Conte, 75, of Bothell, is a longtime friend and business associate of the Colacurcios, often serving as Colacurcio Sr.'s driver. The indictment unsealed today said Conte runs the day-to-day operations of the family's strip clubs in Shoreline and Everett.

Conte also performed for years as a Seattle lounge singer, specializing in Italian party songs. In a 1986 profile in The Seattle Times, Conte said he never thought of himself as a great singer, but "as a guy who can sell a song ... a neighborhood saloon singer."

Conte pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge last year related to the Strippergate case. He did a soft-shoe dance step for reporters at the courthouse afterward, and said "I didn't do nothing."

LeRoy Christiansen, 67, is a nephew of Frank Colacurcio Sr., and a business partner in the Colacurcios' strip clubs. According to the federal indictment unsealed Tuesday, Christiansen manages the day-to-day operations of the four Colacurcio clubs and Talents West, the family's business office. His role includes the hiring and firing of dancers and managers.

David Ebert, 61, of Monroe, a longtime business partner of the Colacurcios, until recently managed the day-to-day operations of the Colacurcios' strip clubs, according to the indictment. He also assumed primary responsibility for purchasing properties used to promote prostitution, prosecutors alleged.

Steven Fueston, 61, of Tacoma, another longtime business partner of the Colacurcios, managed the day-to-day business affairs of a Pierce County strip club, Fox's.

Sources: Seattle Times archives; United States v. Colacurcio, et al. (June 23, 2009)