GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. – Platinum Plus will reopen its doors in November after a Greenville judge signed a $66,500 settlement filed Thursday morning.
The judge ordered the strip club to shut down last month under the nuisance ordinance until a civil case against it could go to trial.
The lawsuit followed at least 20 arrests after a nearly year-long undercover prostitution investigation there by Greenville County Sheriff’s Office agents.
The settlement would allow Platinum Plus to open its doors again on Nov. 8 at noon, after being closed for six months.
The company that owns the strip club, Elephant, Inc., will pay Greenville County $50,000 to defray the cost of bringing the lawsuit.
The company will also pay Greenville non-profit SWITCH $10,000 to help its mission to end human trafficking and forced prostitution in the upstate.
The proposed settlement will also require the company to ensure there is video surveillance in all areas of Platinum Plus where dancers interact with customers, including the Champagne Room and the Couch Room. Greenville County Sheriff’s Office and the solicitor’s office will have full access to that video at any time.
Elephant, Inc. will also pay $6,500 for an independent “Monitor” appointed by the solicitor, who would visit the club up to 20 hours a month for one year to make sure there are no violations.
Greenville County Sheriff Steve Loftis said last month investigators spent $26,000 on strippers and alcohol for the investigation. Loftis said all the money for “Operation Champagne” came from drug seizures and none of it was taxpayer dollars.
The sheriff’s office has signed 69 warrants because of the investigation. Sixty-eight of them were for prostitution or exposing private parts in a lewd and lascivious manner.
The other warrant was for distributing marijuana. The sheriff said an undercover agent bought marijuana from a dancer off-site.
