It took a jury just 40 minutes Thursday to decide that an exotic dance routine at a Chico-area strip club 2 1/2 years ago was not an act of prostitution.
It was the second straight defeat in court for the government in as many tries in connection with an undercover bust in early 2001 at the establishment formerly known as the First Amendment Gentlemen's Club on Highway 99, seven miles north of Chico.
Jurors, who watched a videotape of the nude dance routines inside the club, said they didn't feel the prosecution proved that one of nine strippers charged in the case, Caren Ariel Naiman, now 23, performed a "lewd act for money" when she allegedly pressed her breasts against customers' faces for tips.
They said the fact that one of the undercover officers engaged in a similar act while videotaping the exotic dance shows was a "factor" in their verdict.
The main reason I posted this is that the defendant's attorney, Tony Cardoza, is a good friend and classmate of mine from law school. But the story is pretty damn funny anyway.
The arresting officers spent some 150 hours in the strip club "investigating." That's almost four weeks of full time employment. Their month-long investigation allegedly included lap dances, private "sessions" with the dancers in back rooms, and instances where the dancers took dollar bills from the officers using only their breasts (which was the act of "prostitution" charged). I can only guess how much fun it was to cross examine these nimrods!
What a waste of taxpayers' money! Read it here from the Chico Enterprise Record.