Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Local News


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Originally published June 30, 2009 at 4:52 PM | Page modified June 30, 2009 at 6:27 PM

Comments (13)     E-mail E-mail article      Print Print view      Share Share

Bios of the six men indicted

Brief biographies of the six men named in a federal indictment that targets the strip-club empire of Frank Colacurcio Sr.

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.

advertising

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)

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

More Local News headlines...

E-mail E-mail article      Print Print view      Share Share

"These poor women that get lured into these businesses, it's sad, these guys know how to use them up and spit them out." How many...  Posted on July 1, 2009 at 5:57 PM by boogiedown. Jump to comment
How much time and resources has been spent chasing after a 92 year old man and his business associates? I think that drugs and violent crime should...  Posted on July 1, 2009 at 11:14 AM by Hugh6000. Jump to comment
When does the mini seris come out?  Posted on July 1, 2009 at 5:57 AM by bigwavedave0351. Jump to comment


Get home delivery today!

More Local News

Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business

Illegal workers quietly let go

Metro won't cut bus service after all

Jerry Large: Food-bank theft turns into a gift

Bumper to Bumper: How can the city let bridges go dark?

Advertising

Video

Real Salt Lake wins MLS Cup
Real Salt Lake defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy with penalty kicks after 120 minutes of play at Qwest Field in Seattle.

Raw Video | Real Salt Lake receives the MLS Cup trophy
Raw Video | Real Salt Lake fans celebrate
Real Salt Lake fans enter Qwest Field
Raw Video | MLS Cup Opening Ceremony
LA Galaxy's David Beckham
Real Salt Lake's Kyle Beckerman
MLS trophy arrives in Seattle
Chittenden Locks Inspection
Full interview with New Moon actors

Marketplace

Advertising