Accused robber walks out of strip club with $22,000 — all in $1 bills, owner says

A man accused of holding up a Providence strip club escaped with more than $22,000 — mostly in $1 bills, the Rhode Island business reported.

A gunman entered the office at the Cadillac Lounge just before 3 p.m. Monday, July 18, while the manager counted money, The Providence Journal reported.

“At first I thought it was a joke,” manager Ed Imondi told WPRI. “He said, ‘This is a robbery.’ I said, ‘What?’ and he said, ‘I’m going to rob the place.’”

The man demanded the $3,500 Imondi was counting, then ordered him to open a safe with $22,000 in $1 bills meant for tips to dancers at the club, WLNE reported.

“He took all the ones, I could hear him stacking them into the big bag he had,” Imondi told WPRI. Ordering him not to turn around, the robber left with the bag of cash.

“Twenty-two thousand dollars in ones is very heavy,” owner Dick Shappy told The Providence Journal.

Providence police arrested a 30-year-old man, Jontay Goode, on an armed robbery charge, WLNE reported.

This story was originally published July 19, 2022 at 1:39 PM with the headline "Accused robber walks out of strip club with $22,000 — all in $1 bills, owner says."