In the course of researching John’s involvement with Boomers, I was able to track down one of the dancers who used to work there, now retired, "Shai" (not her real stage name, but close). She told me several interesting things about Boomers, JJ (John’s nickname) and the other strip clubs in the area.
For one, Shai shared that Boomers was just one of several clubs in the area whose owners worked closely together--in addition to Boomers there was Bottoms Up, Lariat and Shotgun Geniez. Shai's main place of work was Bottoms Up, a strip club in Council Bluffs that is still in operation today. But she told me it was normal for the other owners to call up Mike Rameriz (the owner of Bottoms Up) and ask him to send some dancers over to their clubs -- for example if one of the other clubs was having a busy night, or was short on dancers. In fact, Shai said she recalled several times when Scott Long (one of the co-owners of Boomers with John) would call up and asked Mike to send some dancers over there … Shai said she worked Boomers one time, reluctantly, after one of these requests.
You see, Boomers apparently had a bad reputation, even among the ladies who worked at the other clubs. Shai said it was a notorious place for Fremont prostitutes to work, since they didn’t have a Leavenworth Street. She said that the one night she worked there, she was repeatedly asked for an “extra show” (code for sex), and that when she refused the men simply stopped paying her for dances at all -- apparently “extra shows” were expected from JJ’s dancers. Shai shared that girls at Boomers were known to just “move their panties to the side and let whatever happen, happen.” Given that the club was enmeshed in a prostitution scandal as we saw earlier, Shai's account seems credible. On a personal level she said she was familiar with JJ and would occasionally see him at Bottoms Up or other clubs when she was working.
But according to Shai, the clubs were also catering to similar dark undercurrents. Bottoms Up, Boomers and Lariat were well-known as hangouts for the Hells Angels--whose connection to John we’ve already glimpsed from his testimony at Hoover’s murder trial. Shai's account is also supported by the fact that Willy Furlong, a bouncer for the club, was murdered not too long ago in a Hells Angels hit. And according to Shai, Boomers and Bottoms Up were often frequented by members of the Aryan Nation, especially during the clubs’ “Sons of Anarchy” themed nights. This probably explains why the clubs subtly enforced a “Whites Only” clientele; Shai shared the “[owners] all hate black people and only play country and hard rock in the clubs to keep blacks out.”
Shai painted a pretty grim picture of what it was like to work in one of these clubs as a dancer. She said it was common for the girls to get raped, either by the patrons or by the club owners; and that many of the girls would become addicted to drugs in order to deal with the abuse. She added the only reason she wasn’t raped is because her husband was a member of a rival gang, and the owners were afraid of inciting a gang war if they touched her.
Underage girls, prostitution, sex trafficking, rapes, gangs, racism, gun running, drugs, murder. This is the crowd John ran with for the several years before he went to prison, including the time Sonya was an infant. It’s no wonder that John might feel he needs protection. And a very good reason to be fearful for Sonya’s safety, along with the safety of anyone else he hangs around.
For one, Shai shared that Boomers was just one of several clubs in the area whose owners worked closely together--in addition to Boomers there was Bottoms Up, Lariat and Shotgun Geniez. Shai's main place of work was Bottoms Up, a strip club in Council Bluffs that is still in operation today. But she told me it was normal for the other owners to call up Mike Rameriz (the owner of Bottoms Up) and ask him to send some dancers over to their clubs -- for example if one of the other clubs was having a busy night, or was short on dancers. In fact, Shai said she recalled several times when Scott Long (one of the co-owners of Boomers with John) would call up and asked Mike to send some dancers over there … Shai said she worked Boomers one time, reluctantly, after one of these requests.
You see, Boomers apparently had a bad reputation, even among the ladies who worked at the other clubs. Shai said it was a notorious place for Fremont prostitutes to work, since they didn’t have a Leavenworth Street. She said that the one night she worked there, she was repeatedly asked for an “extra show” (code for sex), and that when she refused the men simply stopped paying her for dances at all -- apparently “extra shows” were expected from JJ’s dancers. Shai shared that girls at Boomers were known to just “move their panties to the side and let whatever happen, happen.” Given that the club was enmeshed in a prostitution scandal as we saw earlier, Shai's account seems credible. On a personal level she said she was familiar with JJ and would occasionally see him at Bottoms Up or other clubs when she was working.
But according to Shai, the clubs were also catering to similar dark undercurrents. Bottoms Up, Boomers and Lariat were well-known as hangouts for the Hells Angels--whose connection to John we’ve already glimpsed from his testimony at Hoover’s murder trial. Shai's account is also supported by the fact that Willy Furlong, a bouncer for the club, was murdered not too long ago in a Hells Angels hit. And according to Shai, Boomers and Bottoms Up were often frequented by members of the Aryan Nation, especially during the clubs’ “Sons of Anarchy” themed nights. This probably explains why the clubs subtly enforced a “Whites Only” clientele; Shai shared the “[owners] all hate black people and only play country and hard rock in the clubs to keep blacks out.”
Shai painted a pretty grim picture of what it was like to work in one of these clubs as a dancer. She said it was common for the girls to get raped, either by the patrons or by the club owners; and that many of the girls would become addicted to drugs in order to deal with the abuse. She added the only reason she wasn’t raped is because her husband was a member of a rival gang, and the owners were afraid of inciting a gang war if they touched her.
Underage girls, prostitution, sex trafficking, rapes, gangs, racism, gun running, drugs, murder. This is the crowd John ran with for the several years before he went to prison, including the time Sonya was an infant. It’s no wonder that John might feel he needs protection. And a very good reason to be fearful for Sonya’s safety, along with the safety of anyone else he hangs around.
Bonus Features
Remember Jeanne Kassebaum, the wife of former Boomers owner Gene Kassebaum? She was found murdered in her bathtub after Gene sold the club to John. Turns out Jeanne’s maiden name was Feyerherm, and her brother Larry was also one of John’s business partners at Boomers. Larry was named as a co-defendant along with John in the lawsuit by the Brannons over the unpaid rent. An even closer connection to her murder than I’d previously realized.
And as a final bonus, I’ve posted the transcript from John’s plea hearing on his federal gun charge (in which he admits to the firearm possession and the meth in his car).
Remember Jeanne Kassebaum, the wife of former Boomers owner Gene Kassebaum? She was found murdered in her bathtub after Gene sold the club to John. Turns out Jeanne’s maiden name was Feyerherm, and her brother Larry was also one of John’s business partners at Boomers. Larry was named as a co-defendant along with John in the lawsuit by the Brannons over the unpaid rent. An even closer connection to her murder than I’d previously realized.
And as a final bonus, I’ve posted the transcript from John’s plea hearing on his federal gun charge (in which he admits to the firearm possession and the meth in his car).