Virginia Entrapment Cas1
itt tECHNICAL iNSTITUTE CJ2670 DR. T.D. BROWN
Virginia Entrapment Case
"Club Velvet" get to keep its liquor license
Terry Seabron
The lawyer for a Richmond strip club locate in Shockoe Bottom's accused the state alcoholic beverage agents of entrapment and called on a newly appointed Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board(ABC) to take closer charge of its enforcement division. Mr. Samuel J.T. Moore III, the owner of “Club Velvet" urged the board to set aside a hearing examiner's decision to revoke the club's liquor license because of tainted evidence in the way the agency conducted an eight-month undercover investigation. Based on sworn testimony from a hearing dating back in November of 2010, the attorney said drug activity and illegal sex acts were encouraged by ABC agents, to lay the basis for shutting down Club Velvet. The raid yielded nothing more than a criminal conviction of Moore on three misdemeanor charges that stemmed from him having sex with a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman, and filming it on the video surveillance system in his club and resident at 15 S. 15th St. He served 30 days of a 60-day jail sentence. ABC announced in March 2009, 13 months after the raid, that it was charging Velvet with 11 violations of state liquor laws and seeking revocation of his license. A hearing officer presided over a two-day hearing in November that resulted in a 57-page ruling in February that found the club guilty on nine of 11 charges. The hearing officer, Clara A. Williamson, revoked the club’s license, pending appeal to the full board.
The attorney later questioned the motives of one undercover informant. There where testimony in the record that this confidential informant was paid based on the results he got. So, in other words, he had a direct incentive to go into a place and try to see how much illegal activity he could get people to engage in. Kevin E. Martingayle, a Virginia Beach attorney representing Velvet and its owner, Samuel J.T.
Virginia Entrapment Case
"Club Velvet" get to keep its liquor license
Terry Seabron
The lawyer for a Richmond strip club locate in Shockoe Bottom's accused the state alcoholic beverage agents of entrapment and called on a newly appointed Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board(ABC) to take closer charge of its enforcement division. Mr. Samuel J.T. Moore III, the owner of “Club Velvet" urged the board to set aside a hearing examiner's decision to revoke the club's liquor license because of tainted evidence in the way the agency conducted an eight-month undercover investigation. Based on sworn testimony from a hearing dating back in November of 2010, the attorney said drug activity and illegal sex acts were encouraged by ABC agents, to lay the basis for shutting down Club Velvet. The raid yielded nothing more than a criminal conviction of Moore on three misdemeanor charges that stemmed from him having sex with a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman, and filming it on the video surveillance system in his club and resident at 15 S. 15th St. He served 30 days of a 60-day jail sentence. ABC announced in March 2009, 13 months after the raid, that it was charging Velvet with 11 violations of state liquor laws and seeking revocation of his license. A hearing officer presided over a two-day hearing in November that resulted in a 57-page ruling in February that found the club guilty on nine of 11 charges. The hearing officer, Clara A. Williamson, revoked the club’s license, pending appeal to the full board.
The attorney later questioned the motives of one undercover informant. There where testimony in the record that this confidential informant was paid based on the results he got. So, in other words, he had a direct incentive to go into a place and try to see how much illegal activity he could get people to engage in. Kevin E. Martingayle, a Virginia Beach attorney representing Velvet and its owner, Samuel J.T.