Jimmy ‘Mr Vegas’ Seoud’s 18 month reign at Surfers Paradise’s Toybox Showgirls strip club
Staff driving dancers for parties, filling a car with booze and a $20,000 bar tab are alleged during the ‘Mr Vegas’ reign at Surfers Paradise’s Toy Box Showgirls strip club. He denies the claims.
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In the 18 months Jimmy ‘Mr Vegas’ Seoud ran Surfers Paradise’s then-named Toybox Showgirls strip club, he racked up an official $20,000 bar tab, had staff ferry venue booze to his car and “at all hours” got staff to drive dancers to his apartment for parties, it is alleged.
But Mr Seoud disputes the evidence of Toybox promotions manager Joshua Torrington and now venue director Tarra Mann-McLean to the Fair Work Commission which alleged:
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– Mr Seoud directing Mr Torrington to pick up “girls” he was entertaining and drive them to the club or his apartment;
– “at all hours of the night he was directed by Mr Seoud to drive dancers and alcohol from the club to Mr Seoud’s apartment where Mr Seoud would be partying”;
– “that nearly every night Mr Seoud attended the club, Mr Seoud would drive his Mercedes Benz to the club, however Mr Torrington was required to drive him back to his apartment and park the car as Mr Seoud would become too drunk at the club to legally drive home”.
– That Ms Mann-McLean worried Toybox cashflow was being “eaten into” by expense bills for Mr Seoud to drive a Mercedes Benz sports car and by him taking club liquor home.
The Mercedes had been negotiated as part of a Toy Box performance payrise for Mr Seoud, the FWC heard.
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Mr Seoud’s statements to the commission deny taking club booze or “often” being drunk at work.
Mr Torrington alleges it was Mr Seoud’s “practice” to take home alcohol from the club “when he turned up” each week, “normally six to eight bottles of vodka” plus “Jack Daniel’s whiskey”.
Mr Torrington also claimed he was often directed to load the booze into Mr Seoud’s car, which the latter also denies.
The club’s weekly booze bill under Mr Seoud’s management sat at $4500-5000 a week, Mr Torrington claimed but “after his dismissal the club’s purchases dropped down to around $1600-$2000 a week for about the same number of paying patrons”.
Mr Torrington stated on “numerous occasions” Mr Seoud would give him keys to the $180,000 Mercedes to transport to the club “male friends who he would then entertain at the club free of charge”, the decision states.
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Their drinks would be added to Mr Seoud’s tab which by the time of his December, 2019, dismissal sat at $19,387.80, it is claimed in the Fair Work Commission decision.
Ms Mann-Mclean, an assistant manager at Toybox since 2007 who replaced Mr Seoud after his dismissal, reported to Mr Seoud for the 18 months it was operated by Mr Buckley’s entity NRA Enterprises.
The commission decision notes of her evidence: “Ms Mann-McLean stated on several occasions Mr Seoud asked her to take liquor from the club to put in his car. She explained because he was her boss she did as he requested.
“However she was annoyed by him taking liquor as it interfered with the financial performance.
“Staff also regularly complained to Ms Mann-McLean about Mr Seoud requiring them to take bottles of alcohol from the club to put in his car.”
She was also unhappy about monthly expenses for the Mercedes Benz – part of his performance package – coming out of Toybox operating company NRA Enterprises’ bank account: “Due to her long association with the club and her personal efforts in building up the business, Ms Mann-McLean was furious with (NRA Enterprises director Sean) Buckley for purchasing the Mercedes-Benz sports car as (Toybox) was struggling financially.
“The monthly finance costs were eating into the cash flow and she was concerned Mr Seoud was not properly conducting himself as the club’s manager. She addressed these concerns with Mr Buckley who in turn said to her that the Mercedes Benz sports car would be a tax write-off.”
Mr Seoud, in his evidence, said it was “not his practice” to take alcohol home and he “never directed Mr Torrington to place alcohol into the Mercedes-Benz”.
“Mr Seoud denied he would often be drunk at work. He stated he never drove home after having a drink or two as it would have been a breach of the liquor licence and could potentially jeopardise the validity of retaining the class of liquor licence required to provide sexually explicit entertainment at the club”.
Originally published as Jimmy ‘Mr Vegas’ Seoud’s 18 month reign at Surfers Paradise’s Toybox Showgirls strip club