Located 3 miles south of Scottsdale City Hall, Skin Cabaret calls itself “The Best Strip Club in Scottsdale.” The club entices patrons with the call, “where the evening ignites with tantalizing entertainment and unforgetable (sic) experiences.”
The club, owned by Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky’s brother Todd Borowsky, is suing the city of Scottsdale over what it calls a series of regrettable experiences.
Todd Borowsky, meanwhile, is being sued by 41 men who claim his clubs stripped them of $2.3 million – an average rip off of more than $50,000 per patron.
While defending himself, Todd Borowsky in his own lawsuit, filed March 20 and, alleges the Scottsdale Police Department with a bogus, “revenge investigation” – trying to drum up cases of patrons being drugged in retaliation for an almost comically botched undercover sting at the strip club.
The suit blasts Scottsdale detectives and their supervisors with “manipulating official police records, altering investigative reports, omitting exculpatory evidence, and otherwise distorting investigative findings …”
Todd Borowsky, owner of Wisnowski, Inc., which runs Scottsdale adult clubs Skin Cabaret and Bones Cabaret, alleges violations of his rights by the city of Scottsdale, Police Chief Joseph LeDuc and former Police Chief Jeff Walther (who retired from his assistant city manager position this week).
While Lisa Borowsky is not named in the new lawsuit, she appears in “Dimitri Kompos vs. Wisnowski/Todd Borowsky,” an ongoing civil suit over ownership of the company.
According to a Dec. 19 Maricopa County Superior Court minute entry in the case, “Defendants Wisnowski, Inc., and Todd Borowsky are represented by counsel, Lisa Borowsky, appearing for counsel of record, Dennis I. Wilenchik.”
The suit alleging Kompos owns 10% of Todd Borowsky’s company was filed over two years ago.
Asked to explain her involvement in her brother’s cases, Lisa Borowsky responded by quoting from “Best Practices” of the Arizona Bar Association: “Ethical Rule (ER) 1.6: Confidentiality of Information prohibits a lawyer from disclosing information regarding the representation of a client.”
“It is also my policy,” the mayor added, “to not comment regarding active litigation involving the city.
“As is always the case,” she said, “I will not hear or participate in matters involving the city where there is a potential conflict present.”
The newer Todd Borowsky vs. Scottsdale lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court by Wilenchik – a longtime associate and employer of Lisa Borowsky.
“I am excited to announce that I will be joining Dennis Wilenchik’s firm — Wilenchik and Bartness — this fall,” Lisa Borowsky announced in a 2022 Digital Free Press article by Terrance Thornton, who later became the mayor’s chief of staff.
Asked if she is still working there, Lisa Borowsky replied, “I am not a member of Wilenchik and Bartness.”
The firm trumpets the new Todd Borowsky suit as “a civil rights action,” asking the court to stop “a longstanding pattern and practice within the Scottsdale Police Department of manipulating official police records, altering investigative reports, omitting exculpatory evidence, and otherwise distorting investigative findings in order to protect favored individuals within law enforcement while targeting disfavored businesses and members of the Scottsdale community.”
The suit also targets Scottsdale Police Assistant Chief Reed Watson, Officer Aaron Bolin, Sgt. Joel Lewis, Det. Dennis Metz and retired SPD Commander Bruce Cioli and their spouses as “liable for the acts alleged herein.”
The Progress asked LeDuc for a comment on the lawsuit – and if charges have been filed against Todd Borowsky after a three-year investigation of Skin Cabaret.
“We won’t comment on pending litigation matters,” said Bolin, a spokesman for the Scottsdale Police Department.
In the 2024 campaign, then-Mayor David Ortega – who would lose to Lisa Borowsky in a landslide – brought up the issue of SPD investigating her brother.
In late October 2024, Bolin told the Progress, “We can confirm there was a criminal investigation into fraud allegations involving employees at establishments owned by Todd Borowsky.
“The case has been forwarded to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for review.”
Bolin added, “the investigation is complete.”
The Progress asked the Arizona Attorney General’s Office if charges have been filed against Todd Borowsky – or if the case is considered closed.
No response was received as of press time.
‘Altered’ report
According to the narrative of the Todd Borowsky-SPD lawsuit, a chain of seedy events began with a bungled undercover operation in 2020.
“SPD’s own Internal Affairs division determined that officers altered a sexual-assault report involving another law-enforcement officer after the report was made by an entertainer associated with Skin Cabaret,” the lawsuit alleges.
“Internal Affairs confirmed the report had been improperly modified in a manner that shielded the officer from potential criminal exposure, resulting in disciplinary action against those involved.”
Regarding this statement, Bolin referenced “Scottsdale Police Internal Affairs’ IA investigation 2021-046, which references the DPS IA report.”
The Progress has requested the report.
The suit insists the Scottsdale Police Department “continued the same pattern of manipulating reports and investigative narratives when conducting investigations targeting the Skin and Bones Cabarets, including the alteration or omission of material evidence and the presentation of misleading investigative conclusions.”
The new Borowsky lawsuit stems from a COVID-era investigation. According to the narrative, “On Oct. 25, 2020, the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control determined it desirable to conduct an undercover investigation at Skin Cabaret to determine if the dancers were violating the state’s COVID distancing restrictions.”
Former SPD officer John Cocca was the director of the DLLC, with another former SPD officer, Michael Rosenberger, his deputy director. According to the suit, the latter assigned Mike Sanchez to act as the undercover investigator.
All three would resign from their positions within months.
According to the Todd Borowsky suit, “Sanchez was an odd choice as he had previously sexually touched an entertainer during the same type of undercover DLLC operation.”
Sanchez went to Skin Cabaret and “requested a private dance with one of the dancers.
“During that dance, Detective Sanchez became handsy and touched the dancer’s buttocks and breasts, grabbed her hips, and started thrusting against her and otherwise acting inappropriately.”
Sanchez returned later that evening and left a Suspension Order at the club, according to the suit. “he order recorded that the entertainer ‘allowed’ Sanchez to touch her breasts and buttocks, suggesting she allowed Sanchez to sexually assault her.
“The dancer who Sanchez fondled filed a sexual assault report with the Scottsdale Police Department that same day.”
Arizona Department of Public Safety then began an investigation of the charges against Sanchez.
One week later, Todd Borowsky claims, SPD Commander Cioli
“communicated with his former colleague Rosenberger that the Sanchez report and Suspension Order both confirmed that Sanchez touched the dancer, and Cioli told Rosenberger that the report ‘does not look good.’ Rosenberger, ignoring DPS’s
admonition not to speak to Sanchez regarding the investigation, then instructed Sanchez to rewrite his already-approved report and his Suspension Order, which Sanchez did.
“Director Cocca was aware of these actions.”
In December of 2020, Scottsdale Police Department Internal Affairs Division “sustained findings against Cioli for policy violations relating to his off-channel communications with DLLC and his handling of the entertainer’s complaint and related evidence,” the suit alleges.
Six months later, according to the narrative, then-Police Chief Walther “drafted, and Cioli signed, a letter of counseling … for his
involvement in changing evidence in the sexual assault report, which was found by Internal Affairs.
“Cioli remained in command over all Scottsdale investigations. “Commander Cioli retired effective Dec. 30, 2021, in lieu of discipline.”
But, before leaving SPD, “Cioli harbored retaliatory animus toward
(Todd Borowsky) and used his remaining tenure and relationships within SPD to support and/or initiate a retaliatory campaign targeting Skin Cabaret and Bones Cabaret,” the lawsuit alleges.
‘Drugging’ allegations
“As part of its effort to close the (Skin Cabaret and Bones Cabaret) clubs, the Scottsdale Police Department created an entire team to investigate the (clubs) that eventually included at
least eight Scottsdale Police Officers,” Todd Borowsky alleges.
According to the suit, SPD Det. Metz – at the direction of Cioli and others – “began re-opening past claims by individuals who alleged that their credit cards were overcharged … at the Skin and Bones clubs.”
But, the suit claims, “Metz had no evidence of a single crime being committed at the clubs.”
The suit states Patrick Chen went to the Skin Cabaret on Oct. 29,
2021. “The next day, he contacted the Scottsdale police department and admitted that he was very intoxicated when he went to Skin” – yet believed he was overcharged.
“He admitted that he could have made the charges, but he could not remember.” Advised to call back once he got the charge records and “had evidence of a crime,” the man never followed up – until he was contacted by Metz.
“Metz contacted Mr. Chen and appears to have convinced Mr. Chen that he might have been drugged at the clubs,” the suit states.
“Metz repeated and continued this pattern of opening or reclassifying police reports over the next three years,” the suit alleges.
“Detective Metz did not have, never had, nor does he now have any evidence that any patron at either club was drugged.”
And, Todd Borowsky’s suit claims, “Metz never interviewed the entertainers, hostesses, and managers whose actions he was allegedly investigating.”
But, according to the civil complaint, Metz interviewed one former Skin employee in mid-2024.
“When Metz asked her if they were drugging the patrons at (Skin Cabaret and Bones) clubs,” according to the suit, “she told Metz she ‘could not understand why the customer said that they were drugged. She believed that the customer would need to physically speak with their banks to get their charges approved.’
“Then Metz told her that some customers reported that the dancers manipulated their phones to approve the charges. She told Metz ‘she never witnessed that and believed that the
dancer would need a pin to open the customers phones.’”
In addition to trying to lead witnesses to say they were drugged at the clubs, the suit claims, Scottsdale detectives were “attempting to de-bank the (strip clubs) and cut off their ability to access financial services.”
According to the Borowsky suit, in March 2020, a patron filed a lawsuit that claimed “he went to Bones where he was ‘unwittingly administered drugs of one sort of another.’”
The same law firm that represented the first man quickly filed another, stating a second man telling a similar story.
“Metz used his position as an SPD detective to help (attorney Ron) Galarza procure dozens of additional clients for ‘drugging’ lawsuits … despite the absence of competent evidence that such was occurring,” Todd Borowsky complains.
“In at least one case a patron who returned multiple nights claimed that each time he went to the clubs he was drugged.”
Meanwhile, according to Todd Borowsky, “SPD had spent two years investigating these complaints and found no evidence to support them.”
In a March 25, 2024, TV news story on the Galarza lawsuits,
“SPD spokesperson Aaron Bolin is quoted stating there is an ‘ongoing investigation.’
“In fact,” the suit continues, “SPD had been performing its investigation for years and uncovered no evidence to support any criminal action.”
‘Good citizens’
Todd Borowsky is a longtime Scottsdale adult entertainment mogul, running Skin Cabaret since 2002 and Bones Cabaret since 2016.
In 2008, he launched a successful referendum campaign against changes to the city ordinance regulating strip clubs that banned lap dances and nude performances and prohibited strip clubs from selling alcohol.
According to the new lawsuit written by Wilenchik, “During Mr. Borowsky’s ownership, the clubs have been good citizens.
“In over 20 years in the business, Skin and Bones Cabarets have not been cited for alcohol or drug infractions. No arrests for criminal acts, such as drug sales or prostitution.”
Exercising his First Amendment rights, Borowsky has “engaged in lawful expressive activity … for many years in compliance with Arizona law and the regulatory framework governing sexually oriented businesses in Scottsdale.”
Even after filing his 40-page, explosive lawsuit, Wilenchik had more spicy comments in an unofficial “closing argument” via an email to the Progress.
He called the case “a despicable example of Scottsdale’s lowest – a targeted, vindictive campaign by the (SPD) to destroy a lawfully operated business …
“There is no evidence in all this time linking (Skin and Cabaret) ownership to any knowledge of anyone being drugged into any transaction or anything other than their own free will,” the attorney continued.
“That is why the (SPD) had to eventually drop this and the (Arizona Attorney General) wouldn’t file anything.”
Rather than a heartfelt apology, the attorney said he expects the city “will use more taxpayer dollars to fight it on technical grounds.”
But through the Todd Borowsky lawsuit, Wilenchik said, “hopefully they will be held accountable.”
In addition to unspecified damages and attorney fees, Wilenchik also wants the court to require “Scottsdale to provide a letter to all plaintiffs’ financial institutions clearing the plaintiffs’ names and admitting that Scottsdale has no evidence any crimes were committed by plaintiffs.”
Civil suits
Though no criminal charges have been filed against Todd Borowsky related to patrons of his strip clubs allegedly being drugged, civil cases with dozens of alleged victims are ongoing.
In “Haala, Et.Al. Vs. Wisnowski Inc, Et.Al.,” a settlement conference has been scheduled for May 8.
This lawsuit now includes 41 men who say they were doped up and ripped off by Borowsky’s clubs.
On June 10, 2024, attorney Rod Galarza, on behalf of Shawn Haala, Ramsey Joseph, and Benjamin Frost, filed a complaint against Borowsky’s clubs.
The suit claims the three, who were charged a total of $94,322, “were unwittingly drugged or otherwise rendered incapacitated by
the defendants as part of the scheme or plan.”
The scheme, the suit alleges, “included drugging the plaintiff and rendering him incapacitated with beverages furnished by the defendants; having one of more hostesses isolate the plaintiff and to keep him separate and apart from their friends once inside; taking the plaintiff’s cell phone to keep him from contacting friends or calling for help and to respond to possible inquiries from the
credit card companies; taking his wallets and making unauthorized charges …”
The first version of the lawsuit cites six related cases, all also in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Galarza later amended the “Halaala et al” complaint to include 38 other alleged victims – who claim Todd Borowsky’s clubs drugged and robbed them of a total of $2.3 million.Dennis Wilenchik, an attorney representing Todd Borowsky, called the claims “absurd and false.
“In all this time nothing has come to light tying in any evidence of drugging customers,” he said.“This lawsuit is a pathetic attempt at trying to force our client into paying something to avoid the negative publicity and our client will not succumb to such.”