WNY Strip Club Owner Facing Federal Charges

Get our free mobile app

A Cheektowaga gentleman's club owner is in the hot seat. Peter Gerace, Jr., the owner of Pharoah’s Gentlemen’s Club, is facing federal charges. Gerace was arraigned in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, today, Monday, March 1, 2021. He is facing a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States, according to WIVB.

Gerace and his brother Anthony, who worked at Pharoah's, are linked to the Buffalo Mafia. Anthony is waiting to be sentenced for a weapons charge, according to the Miami Herald. Federal officers raided the club in December of 2019. The brothers are linked to John Bongiovanni, a Western New York Drug Enforcement Agent, who was implicated in another mafia incident.

Buffalo Teacher, Drug Dealer Linked to Corrupt DEA Agent and 'Italian Organized Crime'

Back in June of 2020, Buffalo teacher Michael Masecchia, who is an alleged drug dealer and has also been linked to 'Italian Organized Crime,' according to The Buffalo News, was arrested. He taught English at Grover Cleveland High School, according to WKBW. Court papers claim that Masecchia is a member of the Buffalo LCN Family. LCN stands for La Costra Nostra, a phrase meaning "our thing," used to describe the first Sicilian mafia families in the United States, according to the FBI. Joseph Bongiovanni, a former agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency, has been indicted with helping members and leaders of organized crime in a Buffalo 'mob.'

Buffalo's link to organized crime runs deeper than you may realize. I compiled a list of some of the most infamous mob and mafia families in Buffalo. It's like these incidents in Buffalo are straight from the movies. It sounds like the plot from a mafia flick set in Chicago or New York City.