Inside the Scores West club at 536 W. 28th St., between 10th and 11th Aves., during a press event last month
Sex sales see Scores stripped of liquor license
By Patrick Hedlund
The Scores West topless bar in Chelsea was stripped of its liquor license last week by the State Liquor Authority based on police reports of dancers selling sex inside the W. 28th St. club.
The SLA unanimously voted to lift the license after a sting operation busted employees and patrons of
Scores West for practicing prostitution on the premises last year.
The ruling came down following the arrest of four employees of the establishment—one as young as 19—for offering sexual favors ranging in price from $200 to 700 dollars, according to police testimony provided to the SLA.
The report charged that undercover officers had arranged to engage in oral sex and intercourse with dancers inside the club’s private rooms after negotiating prices in the club’s main area.
In its decision, the SLA board noted that it “believed the [Scores West] management had knowledge and engaged in the activities, too,” according to spokesperson Bill Crowley.
Members Community Board 4 had already voted before the SLA ruling to recommend denying the club a liquor license renewal, citing outstanding violations issued earlier by the SLA for “post-close alcohol consumption to lewd conduct and prostitution to indecent exposure.” But after the decision to revoke the license came down from Albany, members of the board’s executive committee drafted a follow-up letter on Wednesday to restate their position taking into consideration the SLA ruling.
Scores West owner Elliot Osher has publicly stated his club could not thrive without the license, a feeling shared by Board 4 district manager Robert Benfatto, who agreed life would prove difficult for Scores with the abundance of similar area strip clubs providing both entertainment and alcohol.
“Since there’s other places that do the same thing and do offer liquor, they’re going to feel a hit,” he said of Scores.
Benfatto did acknowledge, however, that the board has not received complaints of any lewd or improper behavior outside the club, which falls more under the board’s purview than activity inside the premises.
Lisa Daglian, chairperson of CB 4’s Business Licenses and Permits Committee and a member of the Quality of Life Committee, stated that all popular venues in the club-rich area have come under the board’s microscope.
“Any nightlife club establishment on 27th St., 28th St. is something that we want to look it—it doesn’t mater if it’s adult use,” she said, adding that the outstanding SLA violations informed the board’s initial decision to deny the license, even though representatives from Scores West have attended past CB 4 meetings to address concerns. “We have been giving [nightclubs]—regardless of where they’re located—closer scrutiny than we had in the past.”
A spokesperson for Scores West, who didn’t provide her name, said the club would still stay in operation during its appeals process.
“We feel that in our appeal we will be fully vindicated,” she noted, “and we remain open for business as usual.”
But if the club’s bid for redress proves unsuccessful, “Would we be upset to see them leave the neighborhood?” Benfatto asked. “No.”
