Kenneth Stimpson (LVMPD)
Police said the Red Devil Fitness and Spa is a licensed business but is a front for a "clip joint." (Courtesy of Arron Healy FOX5)
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
Police have arrested a man believed to be the owner of a Las Vegas business being described as a "criminal enterprise" where a tourist from the United Kingdom was stabbed.
Kenneth Orville Stimpson, 34, was arrested on charges including fraud, obtaining money under false pretenses and racketeering, according to Clark County jail records.
Investigators believe he is the owner of the Red Devil Fitness and Spa, where, according to Las Vegas Metro police, tourists were being taken under the impression they were buying sex with women there.
The alleged "clip joint" operation comprised of impaired tourists being taken there by taxi, paying an entry fee and spending money on services promised by workers there. The workers, though, continue to sell the promised services without performing them. Once victims ran out of money or realize they were being scammed, they would be forced out through a back door or kicked out by male "security" personnel, police said.
On May 13, police arrested six workers after 25-year-old Joseph Sheriff was stabbed at Red Devil Fitness and Spa.
Sheriff had gotten in a heated argument with staff over an entry fee at the operation, police said. He was stabbed in the head and abdomen and transported to University Medical Center in critical condition.
Police have not identified a suspect in the stabbing.
Police added that Red Devil Fitness and Spa has been investigated for some time on allegations of the clip joint scheme.
Stay tuned to FOX5 for the latest on this developing story.
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