One strip club has shady past, another's been ruled OK
Heavenly Bodies strip club near Elk Grove Village is probably best known for its breathless radio commercials. But it made headlines in 2011 when owner Michael G. Wellek was sentenced for obstructing the IRS and filing a false income tax return.
He served a year in prison and six months in home confinement after federal agents seized $12 million in unreported cash profits from a warehouse next to Heavenly Bodies.
The club is still open. It features alcohol and dancers in lingerie but no nudity.
If the “Girls, Girls, Girls” sign out in front of Uncle Paulie's Bar isn't enough of an indicator, the business' slogan is “The Shame of Glen Ellyn.”
The business is notorious in Yelp! reviews for having a short version of a stripper pole and “entertainers” in various states of undress along with a liquor license. The business just celebrated its 29th anniversary, and DuPage County staff members say it is in full compliance with local laws.
“That property is considered a restaurant,” said Paul Hoss, the county's zoning administration coordinator. “We have looked into the facility when people have complained about various goings on. There's female dancing there. But it doesn't rise to the level of meeting the definition of being an adult business. They don't have to be fully clothed. They just can't show certain anatomical parts.”