Commission revokes
strip club’s liquor license

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By Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com

The Honolulu Liquor Commission has voted to revoke the liquor license of a Honolulu strip club for numerous violations including hiring an underage dancer.

The commission will serve its order on Golden Dolls Showgirls, at 939 Keeaumoku St., in two to 10 days. The bar was found guilty of eight violations of time records, five violations of unregistered nude dancers and one violation of an underage dancer, who was 17.

"We always have mixed feelings because you're taking away someone's livelihood," said John Spierling, commission chairman, yesterday. "But the evidence was overwhelming."

Police conducted an undercover operation on Sept. 15 by renting a second-floor room of the club for a bachelor party.

Police Sgt. Gary Sunada testified he instructed his officers "to act consistent with what other customers do" to see if prostitution was practiced at the club, including placing dollar bills on various parts of their bodies to have the dancers remove them.

The revocation shocked the club owners' attorney, Michael Green, who said he will appeal the decision in Circuit Court.

Green said the commission had deleted the room as part of the licensed premises because alcohol would not be served there -- thus it was not under the commission's jurisdiction.

Green said the undercover police officers "clearly ... knew she (the owner) wasn't serving alcohol."

"I'm convinced they violated the law," he said. "This is as close to entrapment as I've seen."

Undercover officers testified that they brought their own beer and were not served any liquor from the club.

Investigator William Richardson Jr. testified that he found nothing in the commission's file to indicate that part of the second floor was not a licensed premise.

Club co-owner Yvonne Dang, whose son-in-law is a policeman, told the commission she normally rented the upstairs room out only to police officers for their private parties. But since the undercover officers asked to rent the room for seven hours, she allowed them to have it.

"What you going do up there?" Dang told commissioners she asked the officers when they requested the room for seven hours. "I say, 'No sex, you know, and no touch.'"

Regarding the time records, Richardson said the club owner told him she could not produce them because the police had taken them, but the police denied that. Also, of the eight dancers at the party, three were registered and five were not. Dang said all her employees are registered with the commission.

Duane Pang, a city deputy corporation counsel, said records show the club has one prior violation of an unregistered dancer.

After the license revocation vote, Dang said, "I hope they (police) can find some place to make a party.