Hof’s Nye brothel license renewals turn contentious

By Mick Akers

Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017 | 3:37 p.m.

The Nye County Commission renewed Dennis Hof’s three brothel licenses on Tuesday, but not before a couple of contentious moments.

Licenses for the Area 51 Death Valley Cathouse in Amargosa Valley, the Love Ranch South in Crystal and Dennis Hof’s Cathouse, which is under construction in Crystal, were renewed.

Commissioner Dan Schinhofen initially motioned for denial of Love Ranch South’s license, noting that signs placed in the area advertising prostitution are illegal. The board told Hof in June to remove the signs as a condition of license approval.

Schinhofen said Hof failed to comply, but Hof said the signs merely promote the brothel’s business operating company, Cherry Patch LLC, and not the brothel itself.

“It’s not the name of the brothel — it’s the name of the ownership,” Hof said. “It was a misunderstanding on your part, and I told Commissioner “Butch”) Borasky about this five years ago and he said he’d take care of it and it never happened. … You’re referring to a sign that says Cherry Patch, nothing else but Cherry Patch. It has nothing to do with the brothel we’re discussing.”

Borasky said he had a different recollection of the discussion

“Mr. Hof, you made a statement that we had a conversation five years ago. Please don't put words in my mouth,” Borasky said. “We had a conversation about (allowing) 18-year-old prostitutes (to work), and I told you to go to hell. That’s the only conversation we had.”

Schinhofen motioned to deny the renewal again, based on concerns about a Love Ranch sign down the road from the brothel.

Hof said he put the sign there at the request of then-Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo so potential customers didn't have to drive into neighborhoods looking for the brothel.

Hof said he would remove the sign by the end of the day as a condition of approval.The renewal was approved, 4-1, with Borasky dissenting.

It was the first time Hof sought to renew the licenses since Nye County increased the associated fees by 25 percent.

Hof will pay a $14,000 annual fee for Love Ranch South, which is allowed no more than 10 working prostitutes at one time, and two $7,500 fees for Area 51 Alien Cathouse and Dennis Hof’s Cathouse, which are allowed no more than five working prostitutes at a given time. The fees are divided into four quarterly payments.

Additional confusion occurred when Hof’s proposed Cherry Patch Bar 2 and Mabel’s Brothel Museum was considered for a liquor license. The commissioners assumed it would be a working brothel, but Hof assured them it was not.

Schinhofen at first wouldn’t motion to approve the license because the word “brothel” is in the name. Hof’s attorney Mark Riseman said that “brothel” was being used as an adjective and not a noun.

Schinhofen then motioned to approve the license with the condition that no licensed prostitute enters the museum/bar, but Nye County District Attorney Angela Bello said enforcing that stipulation would be difficult.

The Commission approved the liquor license, 4-1, with Borasky again dissenting.

LIcenses for two other Nye County brothels, Sheri’s and Chicken Ranch, were also renewed.