The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A NIGHTCLUB owner accused of allowing his business to be used as a strip club wants to set the record straight after charges against him were dismissed by a magistrate yesterday.

Magistrate Andrew Forbes told the former Copacabana owner, 45-year-old Dennis Halamino, that he was free to go because prosecution witnesses – the police – failed to show up since the matter was brought before the courts in September 2012.

Mr Halamino had been accused of allowing his premises to be used for performing without a license, alleged to have been committed on September 8.

It was claimed that he allowed Copacabana to be used for partially nude dances with a license to do so.

As nine women, charged with him on other charges related to the incident, pleaded guilty and went on to receive their punishments, the club owner maintained his innocence from the arraignment up until yesterday when the charge against him was dismissed.

Mr Halamino, an established businessman who also owns three businesses in downtown Nassau, told The Tribune yesterday that in 2012, “I was working at a casino so a lot of people got the wrong impression and now I’ve been acquitted of all charges, I can to set the record straight.”

“I had the nightclub, but I did not commit the charges claimed in that case. I was subleasing to someone. Like for example if you own apartments and you rent to a tenant, why should you, the landlord, get charged when the tenant was conducting the activities?”

“That’s what happened. I subleased on that weekend and they had private parties in there and when that happened, the license on the wall was in my name, I got charged for that,” he added.

Mr Halamino said police, through their actions, created a lot of drama and stress for him and claimed that the ordeal cost him not only the license and over $100,000, “but more importantly my integrity was at stake.”

“I’m a legitimate businessman. I own Tropicana Club, I own a liquor store next to Senior Frogs and I own the Casablanca bar and deli,” he said.

“It was a setback for me because the people in the business community look at me in that way and the case made me lose some of my credibility. I endured a lot of bad comments from these charges, but I don’t want people to have that wrong impression that I’m a pimp or something because of this case. I had nothing to do with that,” he emphasised.

The 45-year-old said he would not comment on the possibility of a law suit against the police because he was still speaking with his lawyer, Myles Laroda. However, he said that despite his complaint his place was ransacked of its flat screen TV’s, merchandise, beers, sound systems, and CCTV. The police, he said, have yet to return these items to him.

“I complained to the police, but they never got back to me,” he added.

Mr Halamino hopes to get his license back to retain the Copacabana name, but will move the restaurant and bar to another location, this time downtown.

For other aspiring and current business owners, “and even residents”, he warned, “be aware and cautious of the people you sublease to whether it’s your business or apartment.”

“Make sure they have proper identification and certifications, even if it’s private you should visit and be checking what they’re doing because you don’t know what’s going on.”

“That’s exactly what happened to me.

“You don’t see what’s going on and they (police) lock you up because the place is listed in your name.”

“People come with cash wishing to use the space and they pay you to rent for three months. So once you sign something, there is not much you can do, but still, you should go and check what’s going on,” he emphasised.