Owners of El Paso’s Chicas Locas charged in multimillion-dollar tax fraud and bribery scheme

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – The New York Attorney General announced that executives of RCI Hospitality Holdings have been charged in a multimillion-dollar criminal tax fraud and bribery scheme.

RCI Hospitality Holdings is the owner of several clubs across the U.S. The company owns Chicas Locas, a bikini bar in El Paso. It's been operating in the same building where the strip club Jaguars once operated. Jaguars was also owned by RCI Hospitality Holdings.

In a news release and a video posted on Instagram, the New York A.G. Letitia James said that RCI executives bribed an auditor with the New York Department of Taxation and Finance to avoid paying more than $8 million in sales taxes to New York City and the state from 2010 to 2024.

A 79-count indictment unsealed this week charges RCI Hospitality, five of its executives and three RCI-owned strip clubs in Manhattan with conspiracy, bribery, criminal tax fraud and other crimes.

RCI Holdings published a news release defending its executives.

"There are no allegations that any company executive or employee personally benefited from the alleged charges," the news release said. “RCI, the individuals involved, and the three clubs deny the allegations and will take all necessary action to defend themselves against these overreaching charges, while continuing to seek a just resolution.”

ABC-7 reached out to RCI Holdings for comment. We have not heard back.

The executives charged in the indictment are:

• Ahmed “Ed” Anakar, 58, of Plantation, Florida
• Bradley Chhay, 41, of Conroe, Texas
• Shaun Kevlin, 45, of Warwick, New York
• Eric Langan, 57, of Bellaire, Texas
• Timothy Winata, 71, of Houston, Texas

The New York A.G. said a sixth individual has also been indicted but not yet arrested and will be arraigned at a later date.

According to the New York A.G., if convicted on the top count of Criminal Tax Fraud in the First Degree, Langan, Winata, and Anakar face a maximum sentence of eight and one third to 25 years in prison. If convicted on the top count of Bribery in the Second Degree that they are charged with, Chhay and Kevlin face a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison.