PHILADELPIA, PA – Crazy Horse Too, a controversial Las Vegas strip club, is coming to a desolate area along the southern tip of Philadelphia’s Columbus Boulevard – and some residents are none too pleased about the fact.“We are against establishments like that in our neighborhood,” Robert C. Blackburn, president of the Whitman Council Neighborhood Advisory Committee insisted. “We’re oversaturated with adult entertainment. We don’t need and we don’t want it.”

Neighbors are not the only ones taking a stand against the sizeable establishment, which has run into trouble with the feds in its home state and whose owner is rumored to have connections with the mob. Unfortunately for opponents, Senator Vincent Fumo’s attempts to get the club’s liquor license investigated have been fruitless given that the Liquor Control Board has determined that there are no grounds for such an investigation.

In addition to general hostility toward exotic entertainment, protestors point out that the huge, 24-hour Las Vegas club with approximately 1,500 female workers earns big bucks that may be associated with the mafia. In January of this year a club manager was indicted and charged with federal racketeering and tax charges. Employees of the club have been accused of extorting money from patrons and the club’s owner, Rick Rizzolo, is under investigation for federal racketeering and tax evasion, as well as frequently accused of mafia ties.

Further adding to the club’s controversy is the fact that a Romeo Coscio of Chester Springs, PA is believed to own the site, although his name does not appear on any legal documentation. It is believed that he is the primary decision-maker for the property although family members and other connections are listed on paperwork, most likely due to Coscio’s prison record.

Although Fumio has been thwarted by the Liquor Control Board he has vowed to continue to explore ways to stop the arrival of the Crazy Horse Too. Currently he has Representative William Keller as a partner in this endeavor. In Keller’s opinion, the area is “prime port industrial land” that should be preserved.