SAYREVILLE NJ — Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) announced a 21-count superseding indictment against seven individuals and three corporate entities. The indictment follows an investigation into Club XXXV in Sayreville, New Jersey, which allegedly operated as a prostitution ring.
If you frequented the club, you might want to be concerned. The FBI says it has hours of footage showing customers in private illegal sessions with female workers at the business.
The probe into the Route 35 strip club uncovered it doubled as a prostitution house, generating millions in revenue. The funds moved through multiple bank accounts controlled by the accused, purportedly to conceal their origin.
Attorney General Platkin stated, “Our investigation determined that Club XXXV’s operators used illegal means to turn their club into a multimillion-dollar racket. These defendants allegedly enriched themselves unlawfully, masked their income’s illicit sources, and created community issues.”
Thomas Eicher, OPIA’s Executive Director, emphasized that law enforcement would not ignore businesses pursuing illegal profits.
On November 13, 2023, the grand jury filed criminal charges against Anthony Acciardi Sr., Doreen Acciardi, Stephen Acciardi, and Anthony Acciardi Jr., all connected to Club XXXV’s ownership or management. Also charged are Jennifer Hecker, a club dancer; Jeannine Nichols, a club manager and Doreen Acciardi’s sister; and Jason Portes, Nichols’ husband and another Club XXXV manager.
The charged corporate entities include Acciboys, LLC, 35 Club, LLC, d/b/a Club XXXV, and Alana, Inc.
Investigators allege the defendants largely failed to report prostitution proceeds as taxable income and used corporate entities to disguise the money’s sources. They also reportedly sold alcohol illegally on the premises.
Arrests occurred on May 12, 2021, after Sayreville Police, with various task forces, executed search warrants at Club XXXV, following prostitution complaints between 2019 and 2021. Seized items included condoms, lubricant, sex toys, computer hard drives with security footage, and large sums of money and precious metals from defendants’ homes.
Bank records since 2015 show over $10 million in transactions in related accounts. Certain defendants are accused of significantly under-reporting income on tax returns to evade taxes and hide criminal proceeds.
The defendants are charged with the following offenses:
Anthony Acciardi Sr., 59, of Freehold Township
- Racketeering – 1st Degree
- Conspiracy – 2nd Degree
- Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity – 1st Degree (3 counts)
- Promoting Organized Street Crime – 2nd Degree
- Promoting Prostitution – 3rd Degree
- Misconduct by a Corporate Official – 2nd Degree
- Filing Fraudulent Tax Return – 3rd Degree
- Failure to Pay Income Taxes – 3rd Degree
- Failure to File Tax Returns – 3rd Degree
- Maintaining a Nuisance – 4th Degree
- Maintaining a Sexually Oriented Business – 4th Degree
- Falsifying Records – 4th Degree
Doreen Livingston, aka Doreen Acciardi, 56, of Freehold Township
- Racketeering – 1st Degree
- Conspiracy – 2nd Degree
- Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity – 1st Degree (3 counts)
- Promoting Organized Street Crime – 2nd Degree
- Promoting Prostitution – 3rd Degree
- Maintaining a Sexually Oriented Business – 4th Degree
- Misconduct by a Corporate Official – 2nd Degree
- Filing Fraudulent Tax Return – 3rd Degree
- Failure to Pay Income Taxes – 3rd Degree
- Failure to File Tax Returns – 3rd Degree
- Failure to Pay Business Income Taxes – 3rd Degree
- Maintaining a Nuisance – 4th Degree
- Falsifying Records – 4th Degree
- Filing Fraudulent Business Tax Return – 3rd Degree
Anthony Acciardi Jr., 30, of Old Bridge
- Racketeering – 1st Degree
- Conspiracy – 2nd Degree
- Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity – 1st Degree (3 counts)
- Promoting Organized Street Crime – 2nd Degree
- Promoting Prostitution – 3rd Degree
- Maintaining a Nuisance – 4th Degree
- Maintaining a Sexually Oriented Business – 4th Degree
- Misconduct by a Corporate Official – 2nd Degree
Stephen Acciardi, 26, of Freehold
- Racketeering – 1st Degree
- Conspiracy – 2nd Degree
- Maintaining a Sexually Oriented Business – 4th Degree
- Promoting Organized Street Crime – 2nd Degree
- Maintaining a Nuisance – 4th Degree
- Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity – 1st Degree (3 counts)
- Filing Fraudulent Tax Return – 3rd Degree
- Failure to Pay Income Taxes – 3rd Degree
- Failure to File Tax Returns – 3rd Degree
- Failure to Pay Business Income Taxes – 3rd Degree
- Promoting Prostitution – 3rd Degree
- Misconduct by a Corporate Official – 2nd Degree
- Misconduct by a Corporate Official – 2nd Degree
- Falsifying Records – 4th Degree
- Filing Fraudulent Business Tax Return – 3rd Degree
Jason Portes, 41, of South Amboy
- Racketeering – 1st Degree
- Conspiracy – 2nd Degree
- Promoting Prostitution – 3rd Degree
Jeanine Nichols, 59, of South Amboy
- Racketeering – 1st Degree
- Conspiracy – 2nd Degree
- Promoting Prostitution – 3rd Degree
Jennifer Hecker, 45, of Parlin
- Conspiracy – 2nd Degree
- Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity – 2nd Degree
- Theft by Deception – 3rd Degree
- Filing Fraudulent Tax Return – 3rd Degree
- Failure to Pay Income Taxes – 3rd Degree
Acciboys, LLC
- Conspiracy – 2nd Degree
- Racketeering – 1st Degree
- Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity – 1st Degree (3 counts)
- Promoting Prostitution – 3rd Degree
35 Club, LLC, d/b/a Club XXXV
- Conspiracy – 2nd Degree
- Racketeering – 1st Degree
- Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity – 1st Degree (3 counts)
- Promoting Prostitution – 3rd Degree
- Filing Fraudulent Business Tax Return – 3rd Degree
Alana, Inc.
- Conspiracy – 2nd Degree
- Racketeering – 1st Degree
- Promoting Prostitution – 3rd Degree