Franklin has revoked licensing for On the Border, the gentlemen’s club recently caught up in allegations of prostitution.
The Franklin Common Council voted 3-2 to revoke the establishment’s Class B intoxicating liquor and fermented malt beverage licenses, its entertainment and amusement license and a cigarette sold by machine license.
This vote came after a hearing and closed session on the matter during a 5 1/2-hour special meeting on July 16.
On the Border, 10741 S. 27th St. in Franklin, was named as defendant in a criminal complaint on June 10, 2026, which charged the business with a felony of keeping a place of prostitution.
How did the council come to its majority decision?
Council members listened to hours of testimony, mostly from Franklin police officers, regarding the investigation into prostitution/human trafficking and On the Border.
After closed session deliberations, City Attorney Jesse Wesolowski outlined that the council found the evidence heard during the hearing provided sufficient facts that prostitution had occurred through the years at On the Border, that drug dealing, use, and overdoses occurred, that licensed premises staff got into physical altercations at On the Border, that staff continued serving intoxicated patrons, and that there have been a substantial number of police calls for service due to disorderly conduct at the business.
Who voted against the revocation?
Council members Clarke Johnson and Mira Kresovic both voted no to the revocation.
Didn’t Franklin just approve licensing for On the Border?
Yes. The council had approved licensing for the business on June 2, which was to last from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. The approval wasn’t without controversy – the vote was three in favor and three abstentions. It wasn’t until the June 16 council meeting when City Attorney Jesse Wesolowski confirmed the licensing was approved with that vote.
What was said during the hearing?
During the hearing, Franklin Police Sgt. Mark Goers testified that between 15 and 20 women told him they prostituted at On the Border, specifically in the VIP rooms, which had cameras, but where the lights would allegedly be turned off by security. Goers said victims were being trafficked through On the Border and said management knew about it and profited from it.
“The entire staff knew [prostitution] was going on and allowed it to happen,” Goers said.
Franklin Police Officer James Fortier said he responded to On the Border “quite a bit,” more than other bars. He said he has investigated drug complaints on the premises and that there have been issues with overserved individuals receiving OWI offenses stemming from On the Border.
During the hearing, a video clip was played with no audio and only visible to the council. The video reportedly depicted a fight that happened on Jan. 27, 2025, at On the Border between patrons and at least five employees. Franklin Police Officer Christopher Dziadowicz testified that On the Border staff members were the aggressors in the fight.
In his closing statement, attorney Michael Levine, representing On the Border, said a lot of the testimony is hearsay.
Attorney Nick Cerwin, representing Franklin police, agreed there were “large quantities of hearsay,” but said officers spoke with over 20 women who corroborated the same story, noting “there’s a pattern that emerges.”
During the hearing, Mayor John Nelson pointed out that many questions couldn’t be answered because of the ongoing criminal proceeding.
“We’re looking at perhaps possibly taking away the livelihood of a multi-decades establishment and we’re trying to get all the facts we can get out, and I understand it’s difficult,” Nelson said before the vote.
What did On the Border have to say about the allegations during the hearing?
Oscar Cobian, assistant manager at On the Border, also testified. He said the establishment has a zero-tolerance policy for substance abuse.
He also said the cameras can still see what is happening in the VIP rooms with the lights off, and if a customer goes too far, they are confronted. Cobian said if prostitution is discovered at On the Border that it is grounds for immediate termination.
He also asserted that bartenders and waitstaff are responsible, and the establishment monitors overserving and has called for and paid for Uber rides for customers.
Cobian said he’s spoken with dancers and female waitstaff and “they feel a lot safer working at On the Border” than at other establishments.
On the Border has been in business for about 30 years, Cobian said. He noted the business donates to many community groups and made “a big contribution” to this year’s July 4 fireworks in Franklin.
Are there other charges related to this investigation?
Yes. Former On the Border Manager Brian Hopkins was arrested in December 2025 and is facing one felony count of keeping a place of prostitution. He pleaded not guilty.
Three others were arrested at the same time but were not employed at On the Border:
Dantavia Rule is charged with two counts of felony human trafficking, two counts of battery, two counts of disorderly conduct, one felony count of false imprisonment, one felony count of strangulation/suffocation, one felony count of intimidating a victim of domestic abuse and one felony count of receiving compensation for human trafficking.
Jimmy Durant faces five felony counts of human trafficking and one felony count of second-degree sexual assault, according to online court records.
Maurice Russel was charged with two felony counts of receiving compensation for human trafficking.
The charges came after a multi-year human trafficking investigation that started in 2020 when law enforcement received a tip that employers at On the Border “were benefiting from commercial sexual acts in the club,” according to a criminal complaint.
The FBI partnered with the Milwaukee, Franklin and Oak Creek police departments, along with the IRS, for the investigation.
Contact Erik at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Follow his Facebook page, The Redheadliner Erik S. Hanley, and follow him on X @Redheadliner.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Franklin pulls licenses from On the Border club facing prostitution charge
Reporting by Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
