Pharaoh’s owner sentenced to 25 years after bribery and trafficking convictions

Peter Gerace, owner and operator of Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club, was sentenced by a US federal court to 25 years in prison. A jury convicted him of conspiracy involving sex trafficking, drug trafficking and defrauding the United States, as well as witness tampering, maintaining a drug-involved premises and bribing a public official.

According to the DOJ, Gerace paid former Drug Enforcement Agent Joseph Bongiovanni to discourage investigations into activities at the club. Bongiovanni was previously convicted and sentenced to five years in prison; the case also involved allegations that Gerace forced or coerced dancers into commercial sex acts.