On December 27, 2024, the owner of Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club in Buffalo, New York was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of paying a bribe to a public official, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, two counts of witness tampering, and one count of narcotics distribution. Peter Gerace was convicted in the Western District of New York. According to the evidence presented at trial, from in or about 2005 to 2019, Gerace conspired to defraud the United States and paid cash bribes to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent Joseph Bongiovanni, Buffalo Resident Office, in exchange for Bongiovanni protecting Gerace and utilizing Bongiovanni’s position to dissuade members of law enforcement from conducting investigations into Gerace’s activities at Pharaohs. Additionally, from in or about 2006 through 2019, Gerace knowingly maintained Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club as a drug involved premises, where Gerace and others distributed cocaine, Adderall, marijuana, and heroin, and used other methods to coerce Pharaoh’s dancers to engage in sex acts inside Pharaoh’s. Furthermore, Gerace also, acting with others, sent threatening Facebook messages to a witness to prevent her from testifying and providing information in an official proceeding. Bongiovanni retired from the DEA upon the initiation of this investigation and has since been convicted and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2025. Gerace is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2025. The investigation is being conducted by the OIG’s New York Office, the FBI, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Date Issued
Case Action
Conviction by Trial