‘Sopranos’ Strip Club Shut Down In New Jersey For Alleged Crimes

The New Jersey strip club based on The Sopranos‘ Bada Bing club has been shut down by the state.

SOPRANOS-BASED STRIP CLUB SHUT DOWN IN NEW JERSEY

The Satin Dolls night club and one other club owned by the same family is being forced to close due to alleged real-life crimes. Scenes at the HBO show’s fictional club Bada Bing were filmed at Satin Dolls. New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino has announced that the club must halt all live entertainment this month and must sell its liquor license by Jan. 3.

Earlier this year, investigators accused Satin Dolls of criminal solicitation and prostitution, including lewd activity involving “audience participation.” Those charges are currently pending. More investigators from the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control believe that owner Anthony Cardinalle continued to run the clubs despite not being allowed to, and that the clubs also failed to account for large amounts of money coming in and out.

“Illegal activity was glorified at the ‘Bada Bing’ in the fictional world of Tony Soprano, but it has no place in modern-day New Jersey,” Porrino said in a release. “It’s time to shut it down.” In addition, Porrino says the clubs have been under investigation for more than six years. They were ordered to transfer their liquor licenses to third parties, but the Cardinalles still tried to maintain ownership.

“The Cardinalles may have wanted to keep the business in the family, but that’s not how it works,” Porrino added. “Their continued flouting of Alcoholic Beverage Control laws cannot and will not be tolerated.”

In 2013, Cardinalle pleaded guilty to a racketeering scheme related to the Genovese crime family. Back in 1995, he also admitted to evading taxes by not reporting all income brought in by the clubs.