A striking video captures the moment a thief broke into a San Diego strip club and stole over $25,000 in one-dollar bills. The owner suspects it might have been an inside job.
Dino Palmiotto, who runs Expose, a gentlemen’s club in Kearny Mesa, shared security footage that shows a masked intruder entering the club around 5 a.m. on Monday.
“He just kicked the door repeatedly,” Palmiotto said. The footage shows the intruder moving through the club, reaching a safe and stealing the cash that was kept inside.
In total, the thief made off with $25,300 in one-dollar bills.
Palmiotto claims the thief “knew exactly where to go” to find the money and suggests that the perpetrator was in communication with someone inside the establishment at the time.
All staff members who have access to the safe are assigned unique codes. While Palmiotto didn’t recognize the thief, he noted that the code used was linked to a former manager of the club.
“The alarm system went off, which triggered a response from the alarm company,” he explained. “We decided to send someone out because they used a code from a previous employee.”
As a small business owner and former Marine, Palmiotto expressed that he feels compelled to take action. “We have to put a stop to this,” he remarked.
Following the robbery, the club has implemented several security upgrades and is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Palmiotto informed that they are considering pursuing both criminal and civil charges against the former manager who allegedly provided the access codes.
He mentioned that the community response has been remarkable, with many customers visiting the club to show their support after learning about the incident.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my 33 years in business,” he stated.
Palmiotto added that he has yet to hear from the San Diego police regarding the theft, but the department confirmed that an investigation is currently underway.
Details remain sparse at this point.
