BUFFALO, N.Y. — Prosecutors on Wednesday began to shift their focus from the sex trafficking charges faced by Pharaoh's Gentleman's Club owner Peter Gerace at his federal court trial, to other counts he also faces including drug trafficking, bribery, and witness tampering.
For several days jurors have heard from a string of former dancers at the club who told similar stories of choosing to work at Pharaoh's in order to earn a lot of money quickly in order to feed their drug addictions.
Gerace is accused of operating Pharaoh's as a drug-involved-premises and preying on the addictions of dancers there to coerce them into performing sex acts for friends and high paying customers.
Jurors heard testimony Wednesday from another former dancer about her addiction and how it controlled her decisions.
"The addiction is definitely taking the lead and is in control," is how she put it.
However, under cross examination by Gerace Attorney Eric M. Soehnlein, she also testified that she used drugs prior to working at Pharaoh's and continued to so so after she left.
She admitted on the stand that she was hesitant to testify because she was concerned that her memory is at times cloudy, while also admitting that despite being pregnant she used heroin less than two weeks ago including the day she met with federal prosecutors to prepare for her testimony.
Another former dancer had an entirely different story.
There are no allegations, as part of this case, that Alicia Guastaferro, who lists herself as an actress and singer on IMDB, was involved in sex trafficking at Pharaoh's.
On the contrary, she said her employment at the club only lasted two days.
Now 33, she testified that she went to work at Pharaoh's when she was 19 and that she made thousands of dollars in her first two nights work at the club.
This was a few years after she and her family were featured on the once-popular ABC Television show "Wife Swap."
On her second night at the club she said she met Peter Gerace who she thought was "just another customer."
She said Gerace offered to buy her a drink but she quickly stated to him that she was under 21.
"He told me it was OK because he owned the club. I told him thanks, but I'm good," she testified.
Guastaferro said Gerace later appeared with a woman under each arm and invited her to join them upstairs in a private area of the club to "party" with them.
"In my mind that meant sex and drugs," she testified.
Indicating that she had no interest in either at the time, she said she again politely declined Gerace's invitation and turned her attention to other customers.
Guastaferro testified that when she showed up for her third night of work she was fired.
Whether prosecutors called her to the stand to demonstrate that she was fired because Gerace had no interest in someone who might not be manipulated as they allege others had been we may never know.
Attempts by prosecutors to get her to testify as to what she was told regarding the reasons for her termination were thwarted at every turn by the judge who ruled it would be hearsay.
Nor was any mention made of Guastaferro's subsequent legal troubles.
Jurors also heard testimony from Kevin Myszka who is currently awaiting sentencing for possessing cocaine with intent to distribute.
Now a cooperating witness, Myszka testified about a time at Pharaoh's when he asked Gerace if he could score some cocaine there. He testified that Gerace didn't say anything, but that moment later a dancer approached him with some cocaine for sale.
Jurors also heard testimony from Anthony Cassulo, a retired DEA agent who also appeared as a key government witness in the trial of Gerace's co-defendant, former DEA Agent Joseph Bongiovanni.