May 22, 2009 9:14 pm US/Eastern
Couple Accused Of Running Nightclub In L.I. Home
Long Beach City Manager: Naraines Charged Admission, Served Drinks And Dinner In 'Illegal Social Club'
Family: It Was Fundraiser For Daughters' Beauty Pageant Fund
LONG BEACH, N.Y. (CBS) ―
A Long Island couple is accused of setting up a night club in their basement, charging admission, and serving drinks and dinner. Long beach officials call it an illegal social club.
But the homeowners told CBS 2 HD on Friday it was a legitimate fundraiser.
Joseph Naraine denied running a nightclub out of the basement of his home.
CBS 2 HD: "You were charging people to come in the house?"
Naraine: "No, no, it was a fundraiser and a birthday party. And they were giving donations for my little daughter's beauty pageant."
The fundraisers, said the Naraines, are to defray costs of their daughter's beauty pageant competitions.
"She's representing America in panama. Look at all this," Naraine said pointing. "These are the outfits she had to get. She was Little Junior Miss Panama-2006. She was Little Miss and now she's going for Miss Teen."
But:
Peddling alcoholic drinks, and dancing, music and DJ -- complete with a dinner buffet -- inside their residential home? A crowd of 30 in the basement, with 20 others outside waiting to get in? Those are the charges obtained from Long Beach City Court documents.
"Since when aren't you allowed to have a bar in your basement?" Naraine wondered.
The Naraines said they have nothing to hide.
"They said you don't need a permit if it's your private property," Naraine said, adding he checked with City Hall. "Yes [wife, Julissa] did call."
When asked if he was one of the people who attends the parties, neighbor Walter Timothy Hodge said, "Yes. Not parties, fundraisers."
But City Hall told CBS 2 HD it is criminal to charge for drinks, dinner and dancing in a residential home. And worse: police called the basement a potential fire trap with no way out.
"It is an unlicensed social club selling liquor and charging admission," Long Beach City Manager Charles Theofan, adding when asked if there were fire code violations, "Big time."
The city manager said they ran the risk of a nightclub fire disaster like Happy Land if the basement nightclub wasn't shut down. The Naraines hope to prove in court, this was nothing but a misunderstanding.
Long beach police said they were alerted to the so called 'neighborhood social club' by neighbors complaining of loud noise.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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