Owner says brothel license suspension is politically motivated
Operation shut down over dispute involving permits
Nye County has suspended one of Dennis Hof’s brothel licenses because of unapproved modifications to manufactured homes on the site where business is conducted, officials said.
After a hearing last week with county commissioners acting as the licensing and liquor board, commissioners determined Hof had failed to provide adequate paperwork for modifications since 2010 to the Love Ranch brothel site in Crystal, which is about 25 miles north of Pahrump on State Route 160 and about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The county describes the brothel area as problematic and called the detailed modifications “stick built additions.”
Members of the Nye County Sheriff’s Office retrieved the license and confiscated the work cards of legal prostitutes on Sunday at the brothel. The adjacent bar and restaurant, which the county has deemed as safe, will be allowed to continue operating.
The county planning department has evidence of alterations to the brothel area, none of which were permitted or approved with a Manufactured Home Division install sticker or certificate of compliance with the fire code, according to the county.
County commissioner John Koenig made a special visit to the brothel to address the situation, but the review showed significant fire and safety violations, according to the county.
Hof said he had not made any modifications to the structures in question. He blamed the ordeal on the county flexing its muscle, since he has two open lawsuits against members of its board and is running for political office.
“It is an attempt to embarrass me and make me look bad by unscrupulous commissioner employees,” Hof said. “They’re using their county powers to hurt me politically.”
Hof is seeking the Republican nomination for State Assembly District 36. He ran unsuccessfully as a Libertarian in