DETROIT- www.freep.com – The owner of two Detroit-area strip clubs has been charged with cheating on his federal income taxes.

The indictment, unsealed Friday, said Nicholas Faranso, 51 — who owns BT’s Executive Club in Dearborn and Tycoon’s Gentlemen’s Entertainment in Detroit — said, among other things, that he underreported corporate receipts by $539,384 and his personal income by $574,939 for calendar year 2003.

He is accused of conspiring to defraud the IRS and three counts of filing a false tax return. The conspiracy count, the most serious, carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

“I’ll have my day in court and will prove my innocence,” Faranso said, adding that he relied on others to handle the day-to-day business operations.