Seattle- from www.seattleweekly.com – Federal prosecutors say he was making $100,000 a month a couple years ago. But Frank Colacurcio Jr. says he’s close to broke, lost his strip club job and income, is unable to find work as a gas station attendant, and can’t pay child support – or even help his ex-wife pay her water bill.

His ex isn’t buying any of it. He’s got two houses, four cars and, she says, his income has “always been” between $1 million and $2 million.

“It is far from the truth that Frank is now penniless,” says Tina Colacurcio, who has received a $738 water shutoff notice. Because her ex and his father, stripper king Frank Colacurcio Sr., are facing federal racketeering charges, she says, Frankie “is only doing this as a front for his case…to show federal prosecutors that he has no money.”

What ignited this family feud six years after Frankie and Tina divorced, following their involvement in the Strippergate City Hall campaign-funding scandal?

After he, his father and business partners were indicted last June for racketeering, money laundering, mail fraud and prostitution conspiracy, Frankie stopped paying his $9,000 monthly support for their three children. He could’t afford it, he claimed, because his pre-trial release agreement prevents him from associating with the nude dance business or making money from it.

In an ongoing family court action brought by Tina in King County Superior Court, Frankie also says “my business associates have essentially locked me out of all my businesses and cut off all of my income.” He claims to have no savings and his new wife, Rainee, is working parttime to make ends meet.

His mother, Jackie Colacurcio, who is now giving home care to her ailing ex-husband and convicted racketeer Frank, 92, is even buying Frankie groceries and paying the children’s costs to attend private school, Jackie says. “For example,” she says in a sworn declaration, “Costco recently had a sale on chickens. I bought more than I needed so that I could pass those on to my son.” She was making payments on two of his cars as well, she said.

Costco, coincidentally, is among the businesses where Frankie, 48, has sought work (they include Target, BestBuy, Fred Meyer and the Richmond Beach Shell Station). To no avail. “I do not have a college education and my only employment has been in the adult entertainment business,” says Frankie, who, like his father, has done prison time for evading taxes on their nude-dance club business which includes the flagship strip joint Rick’s in Lake City.

Tina says her ex could pay the back child support by at least selling one of his four cars – “Although knowing Frank I am sure that he owns more than four cars.” Apparently he did sell one of them, a $40,000 car he let go to his mother-in-law for $2,000, Tina says. But she didn’t see any of that money either, and thinks the deal was a sham.

She had to sell her own motorcycle, she adds, along with some furniture and clothing to make ends meet. “Even with all my efforts, our water has been shut off,” she adds. Court records show that she has since tapped into a $60,000 line of credit the two had set up, which apparently covers the support Frankie owes. But they’re now fighting over who has to pay back that loan. More sure to come.