BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A bouncer and VIP room attendant at Pharaoh's Gentlemen's Club conspired to commit sex trafficking and lied to the FBI, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Tripi.
At a detention hearing Thursday, the government claimed Brian Rosenthal turned “a blind eye” to illegal activity at the club which operates as a “criminal enterprise.” He worked at the club since approximately 2007.
His job was to protect women and enforce the rules of club. However, dancers were subject to be kissed, have their hair pulled or engage in sex acts, according to Tripi.
Tripi claimed sex acts took place in an upstairs area for VIPs in society like athletes, political actors and attorneys. Referred to as a Pharaoh's “loyalist,” Rosenthal knew he was being personally investigated since January 2021 but continued his employment.
He was released following the hearing with certain restrictions and cannot return to Pharaoh's. Rosenthal faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
He’s just one of several people in a web connected to Pharaoh's to face federal charges.
Joseph Barsuk, who the government claims patronized the club, was also indicted this week on a count of sex trafficking by coercion. The FBI raided his Batavia home Wednesday morning. He remains in custody pending a detention hearing.
Peter Gerace Jr., owner of the club, was indicted in May for witness tampering and distributing cocaine. His initial indictment came in 2021 for allegedly paying bribes to a former federal agent to avoid criminal investigations and prosecution. Gerace is the nephew of Joseph A. Todaro, who the government has accused of running the Buffalo mob. Todaro has always denied the claim, which has never been proven in court.
That former federal agent, Joseph Bongiovanni, allegedly protected his drug-dealing friends, including Gerace, from federal investigations. He was indicted for bribery, obstruction and conspiracy. His friends, the indictment stated, included “individuals he believed to be members of, connected to, or associated with Italian Organized Crime.”
Michael Masecchia, a former Buffalo Schools teacher, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison following his guilty plea in drug and weapons charges. Bongiovanni is alleged to have taken a quarter of a million in bribes from Massecchia. Masecchia is alleged to be “an associate member and possibly a made member” of the Buffalo mafia. Masecchia made no admission in his plea agreement.
Former State Supreme Court Judge John Michalski died by suicide in 2022 following a raid at his home after federal authorities began looking into his decades-long friendship with Gerace.
