El Paso- A year long police investigation of El Paso’s adult businesses resulted Thursday in the closure and seizure of the Naked Harem and the arrests of seven people who own or manage three strip clubs.

A warrant was issued for the arrest of an eighth person. The arrests were for a variety of alleged crimes, including prostitution and employing underage girls.

Police initiated the investigation in February 2003 after officers allegedly found an underage girl working as a nude dancer at the Naked Harem, 6345 Alameda.

A lawyer for the nightclub declined to comment on the arrests and seizure.

Police spokesman Javier Sambrano said that the club was seized and that its owners, Phyllis Woodall, 48, and Jeanie Coutta, 61, and two managers, Sandra Zepeda, 38, and Maria Brooks, 48, were arrested because they were engaged in organized criminal activity.

“More specifically they were engaged in aggravated prostitution and compelling prostitution, which basically means trying to get someone to participate in prostitution using money or something else,” Sambrano said.

Also arrested on charges of engaging in criminal activity were Oscar Chapa, 46, owner of Exotica at 11150 Gateway East, and Miguel Free, 42, manager of Nero’s at 10662 Vista Del Sol.

Police said they also arrested Angela Waters, 33, of Exotica.

A warrant has been issued for Oscar Calderon, manager of Exotica, Sambrano said.

More information about all the people arrested and the other charges they face was not released by police Thursday. Sambrano said the people arrested would face multiple charges.

Ricardo Fierro, Free’s son, said his father is wrongfully being accused of engaging in organized criminal activity. Fierro said the charge stems from allegations from police that Nero’s hired an underage dancer.

“She had legal New Mexico state identification. How were we supposed to know it was false?” Fierro said.

Fierro said his father found out while being investigated by police that the club allegedly hired an underage dancer. The girl worked there for about a week sometime last year, he said.

Officials of Exotica could not be reached for comment. Police in June reported that an underage girl allegedly performed nude, topless and in lingerie at the business. Her mother, whose name was not released by police to avoid identifying the minor, was arrested and charged with employment harmful to children for allegedly driving her daughter to work.

After the arrest, a manager for Exotica said club officials were not aware that the girl was a minor.

The Naked Harem’s lawyer, Michael Gibson, declined to comment on Thursday’s police action, saying he needed time to review legal documents used by police to seize the club and arrest the owners and two of the club’s employees.

Joe Martinez, 52, who lives near the Naked Harem and has visited the club, was surprised to see police swarm the establishment Thursday.

“For me the club is not a problem, but I’m a man. I’m sure it’s a problem for children and women,” he said.

Martinez said that he was aware of police reports claiming the club had hired an underage dancer, but that he didn’t think anything of it.

For Christina Cantu, 28, who also lives near the Naked Harem, the seizure of the club was a relief.

“I’m glad. Hopefully they will shut it down permanently. It think it’s inappropriate to have it here so close to a school and homes,” she said.

The locks on the doors of the Naked Harem were changed, and police combed through the property, confiscating items as part of the police seizure of the property.

Sambrano said the police action would affect two other businesses on the property — the Boutique Cosmopolitan, which sells lingerie and other adult novelties, and the Michoacan, an ice-cream shop. Officials for the businesses couldn’t be reached for comment.

The Naked Harem, valued by the Central Appraisal District at nearly $290,000, will remain in the custody of police until the courts decide what to do with it, Sambrano said.

The Police Department expects the property will ultimately “be awarded to us,” Sambrano said.

Sambrano said the investigation into activity at the Naked Harem and other sexually oriented businesses started Feb. 25, 2003, when police who were dispatched to a theft call at the Naked Harem allegedly found a 15-year-old girl working as a nude dancer at the club.

Woodall then denied that an underage girl worked at the strip club. She couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.

In an affidavit interview with vice detectives, the girl told of working at the club for a month after she was hired after lying about her age and presenting a school identification card that didn’t include a date of birth — and telling her mother she was going to a party.

She earned $900 her first night, the girl told detectives. In the affidavit, the high-school freshman described “apparent ‘don’t ask/don’t tell’ house rules” as sex took place between dancers and patrons in private rooms.

“That means trying to get people to participate in prostitution either with money, or any other type of cause. This was specifically related to the 16 year old dancers that did work here,” said Javier Sambrano, a police spokesperson.

Police were called in March 2003 to investigate a theft, apparently a stripper claimed she was not getting paid. At that time police found a bigger problem. They say the Naked Harem had been encouraging prostitution since the late 90’s.

“I think when you got young children, young girls working in this type of environment, something needs to happen. and we have finally stepped in and done the right thing,” said Roger O’Dell, an advocate for stricter laws at sexually oriented businesses.

In addition to Woodall and Brooks, police arrested 6 others who are also facing criminal charges. They include managers and employees of Nero’s and Exotica strip clubs.

Roger O’Dell, who pushed city council last year to toughen laws on sexually oriented businesses says this seizure is just the beginning.

“It’s about time. Next, we are going after the next one [sexually oriented business] we are not done,” said O’Dell.