NJ orders closure of real life Bada Bing from The Sopranos
New Jersey has whacked The Bing.
Satin Dolls, the Lodi strip club that proudly served as the fictional "Bada Bing" in the landmark mob drama "The Sopranos," is one of two North Jersey go-go bars ordered to cease operations, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced Thursday.
The Route 17 club and A.J.'s Gentleman's Club in Secaucus have until Dec. 17 to cease live entertainment due to alleged violations of state laws, Porrino said in a statement.
Their liquor licenses must be sold or transferred to a third party no later than Jan 3, 2018, according to Porrino and the N.J. Division of Alcohol Beverage Control.
The clubs and owners -- identified as members of the Cardinalle family -- have been under state investigation for more than six years, Porrino said.
"The division has alleged that Anthony Cardinalle, who was criminally disqualified from maintaining involvement with the clubs' operations, nonetheless continued to run the businesses," Porrino said. "The division also alleges that the owners failed to account for large amounts of cash flowing in and out of the businesses."
Satin Dolls was used a shooting location for The Sopranos from 1999 to 2007. He pleaded guilty in December 2013 to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit extortion and was ordered to spend 30 days in jail, and pay a fine and restitution.
The division said it has evidence Anthony Cardinalle continued to run the clubs, including after a 2015 robbery at Satin Dolls when Cardinalle spoke with Lodi police and identified himself as the owner.
On Nov. 20, N.J. division Director David P. Rible signed an order stating the Cardinalle family's involvement with the club must end.
"The Cardinalles may have wanted to keep the business in the family, but that's not how it works. Their continued flouting of alcoholic beverage control laws cannot and will not be tolerated," Porrino said.
"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," he said. "It's time to shut it down."
No one answered the phone at Satin Dolls or at A.J.'s on Thursday afternoon.
Porrino said a 2011 consent order mandated that Luceen Cardinalle, the wife of Anthony who was listed as the sole shareholder of both corporations, turn over the licenses to her daughter, Loren Cardinalle.
The Cardinalles were ordered to pay $1.25 million in penalties as a compromise in lieu of revocation of both licenses, and Loren Cardinalle was ordered to transfer both licenses to a bona fide third party by Dec. 31, 2015.
"The holding of licenses to sell and serve alcohol is contingent upon the owners' behaving in a reputable manner," Rible said. "The Cardinalles, quite simply, have not played by the rules despite many opportunities to correct their behavior, and it's time to get them out of the alcohol business once and for all."
Anthony Cardinalle pleaded guilty in 1995 to federal income tax evasion for not reporting cash payments from gentleman's clubs in which he held undisclosed interests, Porrino said.
During an investigation, the state discovered Anthony Cardinalle was still involved with running the clubs, Porrino said.
Porrino said as the 2015 consent order deadline approached, Loren Cardinalle asked the Division for permission to continue to hold the licenses. A series of extensions were granted, with the latest deadline set for Sept. 28, 2017.
In May 2017, the division issued a notice of charges for criminal solicitation for prostitution and lewd activity on the premises. Those charges are pending, Porrino said.
Bada Bing! Was a fictional strip club in "The Sopranos," which aired on HBO from 1999 to 2007.
A number of the series' most memorable scenes were filmed at the club, including when Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) threatens Tony Soprano with a gun for allegedly having an affair with his fiancee and the beating death of a preganant dancer at the hands of Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano).
Though Satin Dolls was a go-go or a bikini bar, Bada Bing! featured nude dancers, a practice outlawed in New Jersey establishments that sell alcohol.
When Tony Soprano actor James Gandolfini died at age 51 in June 2013, the staff at Satin Dolls set up a tribute to the actor near the bar that included a framed photo, shirts promoting the Bada Bing! and a hat with "The Sopranos" logo.
A large sign outside the club on Route 17 read "Thank You, Jimmy, Farewell Boss."
The sign at Satin Dolls after the death of James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano in the HBO series.http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2017/12/last_dance_at_bada_bing_as_state_orders_closure_of_real-life_sopranos_haunt.html
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