Charges dropped against member of NJ family accused of strip club crimes

⭕ NJ family member cleared of charges in strip club bust

⭕ Parents, 2 sons still face criminal charges filed

⭕ Operation run from Sayreville club, prosecutors say

One family member arrested in an extensive strip club bust led by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office last year has been cleared of all criminal charges.

Angela Mancini, of Colts Neck, saw charges dismissed on Aug. 23, the state Office of the Attorney General confirmed to New Jersey 101.5.

She had faced counts of money laundering and conspiracy.

⭕ Parents, 2 sons still face criminal charges filed

Charges of money laundering, promoting street crime and promoting prostitution remained pending against Mancini’s parents and two brothers.

Doreen Acciardi, owner of Club XXXV (pronounced "35"), her husband, Anthony Acciardi Sr. and their sons Anthony Acciardi Jr. and Stephen Acciardi were arrested in June 2022.

“None of this should have ever happened,” according to attorney Jeffrey Bronster, who has represented both Mancini and her mother in this criminal case.

“Angela was pulled into a situation she had nothing to do with. She was handcuffed at gunpoint and dragged out of her house in front of her young children, and separated from her newborn baby for eight days waiting to be released from jail. To this day the entire family is traumatized, and all for nothing.”

Bronster remained as co-counsel for Doreen Acciardi in the case, while also being retained as the family attorney for various civil matters.

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Among those was a lawsuit filed by Anthony Acciardi Jr.'s wife.

Brooke Acciardi has been suing Sayreville police, over her treatment when officers carried out the search warrant against her husband at their home last year.

According to an affidavit of probable cause previously obtained by New Jersey 101.5, investigators said the Acciardi family has generated "significant income" from illegal business dealings based at the club in Sayreville, while also failing to report most of it on state tax returns.

In May 2021, three employees of Club XXXV were busted with evidence of prostitution.

Jeannine Nichols, Jason Portes and Jennifer Hecker were all arrested for promoting prostitution. Hecker was also charged with solicitation of prostitution and money laundering.

Bronster has said the entire case was based on a "vendetta" against the Acciardi family by Sayreville police.

Club 35 has been closed to customers since the bust in the summer of 2022.

It was planning on opening in October, though an exact date had not been determined, according to the attorney.