A Timeless Legacy in Central City

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RCI executives indicted in New York; Central City ties raise questions

Executives of RCI Holding (RCI) have been indicted on 79

counts by a New York grand jury, according to the New York

Attorney General’s Office (NYAG). The charges originate

from an investigation by the NYAG and the New York State

Department of Taxation and Finance, and if found guilty,

they could face prison time.

In the Sept. 16 press release from the NYAG’s office, the

indictment is based on a “multimillion dollar criminal tax

fraud and bribery scheme … to avoid paying over $8 million

in sales taxes to the state and New York City between 2010

Charged are Eric Langan, 57, of Bellaire, Texas; Ahmed

“Ed” Anakar, 58, of Plantation, Florida; Bradley Chhay, 41,

of Conroe, Texas; Shaun Kevlin, 45, of Warwick, N.Y.; and

Timothy Winata, 71, of Houston, Texas. Three RCI Hos-

pitality Holdings’ Manhattan-based strip clubs were also

charged: Rick’s Cabaret, Vivid Cabaret, and Hoops Cabaret

and Sports Bar.

A sixth person has been indicted but not charged yet, as

they will be arraigned later, so their name remains under

seal, according to the press release.

“RCI’s executives shamelessly used their strip clubs to

bribe their way out of paying millions of dollars in taxes,”

said Attorney General Leticia James.

The AG’s office claimed that RCI and its executives alleg-

edly bribed a former New York Department of Taxation and

Finance (DTF) auditor “in exchange for favorable treatment

during at least six different sales tax audits spanning over a

decade. The auditor received a minimum of 13 complimen-

tary multi-day trips to Florida, where he was given up to

$5,000 per day for private dances at RCI-owned strip clubs,

including Tootsie’s Cabaret in Miami. RCI executives also

paid for the auditor’s hotels and restaurant visits during

these trips as well.

The release states, “Additionally, on at least 10 occasions

since 2010, Timothy Winata, RCI’s controller and accountant,

traveled to Manhattan from Texas to provide the auditor with

illegal bribes at RCI’s three Manhattan clubs, Rick’s Caba-

Hills. See pg 4.

Photo by Don Ireland

Second “Clara Brown Day”

honors early Central pioneer

Honoring the memory of early Central City pio-

neer, businesswoman, nursemaid and philanthro-

pist inspired the creation of the first “Clara Brown

Day” last Fall, when residents gathered to see a

street named in honor of the local legend.

This year’s second Clara Brown Day included a

different type of tribute to the former slave who has

also been enshrined by the Colorado Women’s Hall

of Fame and the Colorado Business Hall of Fame.

“Aunt Clara,” as the locals called her, was the

centerpiece of a tribute organized by the Central City

Opera and the Lincoln Hills Care organization. The

event took place in front of dozens of people amid

the fall leaves at the Dr. Nathaniel Howard III Out-

door Classroom at Lincoln Hills this past Saturday.

The opera’s Education and Community Outreach

program honored Clara Brown with a one-hour

musical tribute by Black composers that included

Negro spirituals. The event featured a walking tour

of the historic buildings in the Lincoln Hills neigh-

borhood, including Wink’s Lodge, which was desig-

nated a federal historic landmark in 2023.

Soprano Courtney Caston recounted the story of

Clara Brown, describing how the 1860s-era pioneer

inspired her to “hold onto hope for a better future.”

It was Caston’s powerful, captivating voice and

dynamic vocal range that enchanted everyone at the

event. Her song selection, accompanied by pianist

Dr. Terea Crane, filled the glass-door-enclosed

outdoor center, with a projection that made

the audience not notice the Amtrak Zephyr

train passing within 100 feet of the

building.

Caston, who joined the opera last

year, included selections in her per-

formance such as He’s Got the Whole

World in His Hand, Ride On, King

Jesus!, and songs inspired by poems

by Langston Hughes. The poet was

tain retreat west of the Missis-

sippi, after it was established in

Gilpin County in 1922, during

a time of segregation and Jim

Crow uprisings elsewhere in

the country.

Clara Brown earned the

nickname “Angel of the Rockies”

because she helped ill and strug-

gling families during the gold-

rush era of Central City’s early

years. The woman who oper-

ated a laundry business in the

community also contributed to

civic causes, including helping

to start St. James Church on Eu-

reka Street, which is considered

the first Protestant church in

the territory that would

become Colorado.

impression on the city and

beyond.

Lincoln Hills Cares staff,

led by Madi Shaheen, orga-

nized the historic tour and provided lunch for those

who attended the event.

Courtney Caston shared the story of former slave Clara Brown’s struggles and

how she rose to become a historic business figure and philanthropist in the

early days of Central City. Her vocal range and power, which filled the outdoor

classroom building at Lincoln Hills captivated everyone who attended.

Photos by Don Ireland

Among those meeting for the first time were retired Judge Gary Jackson (right),

who has shared the Lincoln Hills story with nationwide audiences, Central City

resident Peter Droege, who is leading the historic Belvidere restoration project,

and his daughter Lauren (left).

Intergovernmental transfers

are expected to bring in $7.897

million, while property taxes are

anticipated to generate $6.693

million, or 19.5 percent of the total

revenue.

According to the proposed

budget, approximately 29 per-

cent, or $11.453 million, of the

expenditures will be allocated to

the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office,

including patrols, detentions, dis-

patch, victim services, the county

coroner, and the Office of Emer-

gency Management. The county’s

public works and solid waste pro-

grams are the second-highest cost

at $5.156 million, or 13 percent, of

the budget.

The county’s fund balance, listed

at $33.340 million at the end of

2024, is expected to decline to

$28.339 million by the end of

this year and decrease to $23.419

million by the end of 2026. The

fund balance is set aside to fund

ongoing county operations during

a crisis or another pandemic, and

to support recovery efforts in case

of a destructive wildfire or flooding

event. Rears noted that the county

has been debt-free since 2023.

In a related move on Tuesday,

the commissioners voted to sus-

pend their hiring and retention

bonus programs for 2026, which

will save Gilpin County about

$596,000. Commissioners Jeff

Aiken and Susan Berumen sup-

ported suspending the programs,

but Commission Chair Sandy Hol-

lingsworth voted against it.

However, the commissioners

said they plan to discuss pos-

sibly modifying the program at

a workshop next month. The

county’s Facilities Department

and the sheriff’s office stated that

the hiring and retention bonus

program remains necessary for

their departments, which still lack

full staffing.

The BoCC also voted to change

its long-term care insurance ben-

efit for the upcoming year. Instead

of the county paying $24,000

annually for the program, it will

become an employee-paid benefit

in 2026.

According to the proposed 2026

budget, Gilpin will carry over

$2.095 million from the current

budget and contribute an addition-

al $831,807 next year, for a total

capital budget of $3.036 million.

Spending on capital programs

will include about $2.4 mil-

lion for the new County Annex-

Food Pantry building, for which

groundbreaking took place earlier

this month. Additional costs will

cover replacing the plumbing re-

circulation lines at the recreation

and justice centers; replacing the

circulation pumps and chemical

doors at the rec center’s swim-

ming pool; and enhancements

at the historic Rudolph Ranch

homestead property that Gilpin

purchased in late 2024 to secure

water rights.

Gilpin also plans to spend $1.4

million on capital equipment, in-

cluding replacing tasers and buy-

ing a drug scanner for the sheriff’s

department ($89,380); purchas-

ing a new computer server and

replacing the sound system in the

BoCC meeting room ($34,573);

acquiring a skid steer with a snow

blower and a hot-melt asphalt

machine ($132,000) for the facili-

ties department; and $750,819 for

new equipment for public works,

such as two trucks, new radios,

and vehicle-tracking software.

The historic East Portal Cabins

and Thorn Lake School near Rol-

linsville are still listed as potential

projects for 2026, with $50,000

allocated for each. They were

previously marked as ongoing

projects in recent years, but no

construction has started on either.

The commissioners will meet

with county department heads on

Oct. 7 to discuss their budget con-

cerns. The BoCC will also review

the proposed budget during meet-

ings on Oct. 9, 15, 16 and 22, and

will hear residents’ questions and

concerns at upcoming meetings.

Final budget adoption is scheduled

for a special meeting on Dec. 15.

Hollingsworth said the commis-

sioners hadn’t seen the proposed

budget before Tuesday’s meeting.

“The commissioners love going

through the budget line by line,”

she told the Weekly Register-

Call. “We will be looking for any

further reductions and changes,

or anything we don’t agree with.

We’ll be making adjustments

during the work sessions, and the

public is invited to attend them.

I appreciate the finance staff and

the county manager for the work

they’ve put into this.”

A Timeless Legacy in Central City

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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