Ryan Walker Grant, the owner of Flashdancer Cabaret, a strip club located near Fort Worth in Arlington, Texas, who had previously agreed to shut down his establishment in January following pressure from the city and state, was arrested for allegedly plotting to hire someone to murder two officials involved in the club’s closure. This information comes to light from an FBI affidavit reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Grant’s alleged scheme reveals a disturbing escalation following the forced closure of Flashdancer Cabaret in the Fort Worth area.
According to the FBI, the events unfolded with a text message sent by Grant just before 1 a.m. last Tuesday. The message, directed to an individual identified as Individual A, simply read, “Call me whn u can,” indicating Grant had “formal business” to discuss.
Individual A promptly returned the call. During this conversation, Grant reportedly requested someone to travel from out of town to handle a “job.” He used cryptic language, offering an analogy: if someone were watching a movie in Miami, an individual from Cuba would come to Miami to “watch the movie” and then return to Cuba, never to come back. Investigators believe this coded language signified a murder plot, with “watching a movie” being a veiled reference to killing someone.
The individual Grant contacted arrived that afternoon. It is alleged that Grant provided this person with a piece of paper containing the names of two men. While the FBI affidavit does not explicitly name these individuals, the Star-Telegram identified them as Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck and Dallas attorney Tom Brandt. Brandt had represented the city in its efforts to close Flashdancer Cabaret.
Grant reportedly expressed his grievances, stating, “They just jacked me for a year of business and they’re trying to track me indefinitely… We had a deal, and they just reneged on it.” He further claimed that the city’s actions were costing him $800,000 annually. This financial strain appears to be the motive behind the alleged murder plot targeting officials connected to the Flashdancer Cabaret situation in the Fort Worth vicinity.
The plan, as described in the affidavit, involved Grant’s request for “wetbacks” from Mexico to carry out the hit on Mayor Cluck and attorney Brandt. He allegedly offered $10,000 per target. Grant reportedly justified using individuals from Mexico by saying, “I can’t just call up my dude and say go hit them… This is too high profile,” indicating his concern about potential law enforcement scrutiny.
The plan moved forward, and the individual met Grant again at his residence the following Monday. At this meeting, the individual informed Grant that the hired individuals – the “wetbacks” – were ready and awaiting Grant’s go-ahead. Grant confirmed the murder plot and even detailed an alibi involving using his child. Before letting the individual leave, Grant, suspicious of being recorded, asked him to lift his shirt to check for a wire.
Unbeknownst to Grant, his conversations were indeed being monitored by the FBI. He was arrested at his home in Kennedale later that day. The arrest of the Flashdancer Cabaret Fort Worth area owner highlights the dramatic and illegal measures taken in response to the closure of his business.
