FYI: Article - Vancouver Sun (08/25)
Police link exotic dance operator to Starnet
The Vancouver Sun
David Baines, Sun Business Reporter Vancouver Sun
A Vancouver man who operated a stripper agency with a
high-ranking Hell's Angel is one of 15 people named by police last week's raid on Starnet Communications International Inc.
Ken Lelek, 40, who runs That's Entertainment, which books exotic dancers around the world, was named by police in an information to obtain a search warrant as a co-conspirator in an allegedly illegal betting and pornography operation run by Starnet.
According to the search warrant information, That's Entertainment is owned by 399413 Alberta Ltd., whose directors were identified in the company's 1993 and 1994 annual reports as Lelek and Lloyd Robinson.
Robinson was charged in September 1989 in the death of
48-year-old Hilmar Suessmaier, owner of The Metro nightclub at 1136 West Georgia, who died three days after he tried to evict a customer for causing a disturbance at the nightclub.
The Crown, which described Robinson as "the alleged
sergeant-at-arms of the east Vancouver chapter of the Hell's
Angels" later stayed the charge.
In May 1990, Robinson was photographed in his Hell's Angels
colours as he attended the funeral of former Vancouver broker Ray Ginnetti, who had been murdered execution style with a single shot to the head.
In April 1996, Robinson and a Hell's Angel colleague, Gino
Zumpano, were charged with extortion.
Robinson was arrested at gunpoint while he was driving his car on the Upper Levels Highway. Police said emergency-response team members were involved in the arrest.
Zumpano was arrested as he exited the chapter's clubhouse in
the 3500-block of East Georgia.
The following month, the Crown dropped the charges, claiming
that there was not sufficient likelihood of convicting the two men. "We are not happy with Crown's decision," Superintendent Carson Turncliff, the officer in charge of Vancouver operations of the Coordinated Law Enforcement Unit, said at the time, adding that he would ask for a review of the decision.
Lelek had his own problems with the law. In September 1987, he was fined $500 after he pleaded guilty to one count of allowing an indecent performance by two female strippers called the Chiclets in the Austin Hotel pub.
In August 1995, The Province newspaper reported that That's
Entertainment was promoting table dancing in downtown bars.
The newspaper reported that "a spokesman who would give his
name only as Ken" said Robinson was a director and secretary of the numbered company that owned the stripping agency.
"But don't print that," The Province reported the man as saying. "You see what those guys do in Quebec; they're blowing each other up."
According to the search warrant information, Robinson ceased to be a director of the Alberta numbered company in 1995, leaving Lelek as its sole director.
In May that year, the search warrant information states, Starnet Computer Communications Inc. was incorporated with Lelek and three others as directors.
In November 1995, Lelek and two other directors stepped down
and were replaced by Mark Dohlen, now Starnet's chief executive officer, and Jason Bolduc, who served as president until he left last year.
Starnet's current president is Paul Giles. According to disclosure information filed by Starnet with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Giles previously worked as president and director of a Vancouver-based "entertainment management firm" called Goldstein Productions Inc.
A search of the B.C. registrar of companies turned up no such company. However, there was a Goldsteine Productions Ltd., dissolved in 1994 for failure to file annual reports, with Lelek listed as its sole director. It is not known whether this is the same company.
According to Starnet's most recent SEC filings, Lelek is neither an officer nor director of Starnet. In fact, he is not even mentioned, but information contained in the police search warrant indicates that he has been closely involved in Starnet's business affairs.
In the information, police allege that documents obtained from the Giles' curbside garbage in February 1999 show that:
- A directors' meeting was held on Dec. 3, 1998, and copies of the minutes were forwarded to Lelek.
- Chris Zacharias, Starnet's corporate counsel, sent Lelek a copy of a memo relating to a Feb. 5 directors' meeting.
- A copy of an e-mail complaint by one of Starnet's licensees, Las Vegas Casino Inc., was forwarded to Lelek.
Police also searched Lelek's curbside garbage and found
business cards bearing the Internet address www.bigbet.com,
which they say is a Starnet-licensed Internet casino registered in the name of That's Acting Inc.
According to the search warrant information, That's Acting Inc. was incorporated in June 1995 and Lelek has been its sole director and officer since then. The firm is located at the same Howe Street address as That's Entertainment and Lelek is listed as the company's administration and billing contact.
Police said that, as of Feb. 16, That's Entertainment also had an Internet Website, www.thatsent.com, linked to a Starnet-licensed casino, Casino of the Kings.
Police further stated that they attended an Internet gaming
conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in late June and observed Lelek occupying Starnet's trade show booth as its representative.
Lelek could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Starnet
officials did not reply to several telephone messages. |
