'Unsolved Mysteries': What Happened to Rick Rizzolo and Where is He Now?

Episode 4 of Unsolved Mysteries Season 3 delves deep into the case of James Barrier, also known as Buffalo Jim.

On April 6, 2008, popular Las Vegas wrestling promoter and local celebrity Buffalo Jim was found dead in a Motel 6 on Boulder Highway, Las Vegas. He was 55 years old.

Barrier's death was ruled as accidental, with dilated cardiomyopathy (inflamed heart muscles) cited, but Michael Murphy, the then-Clark County coroner, also cited in Barrier's toxicology report that traces of cocaine were a contributing factor in his death.

However, the official version has been disputed by Barrier's family and friends, who believe he was murdered.

Unsolved Mysteries explores the theories surrounding Barrier's death and one of them involves former Las Vegas strip club owner Rick Rizzolo.

Rizzolo and Barrier did not always see eye to eye and some of Barrier's family and friends believe he may have something to do with Barrier's death. Rizzolo has never been investigated or charged in relation to Barrier's passing.

Newsweek has everything you need to know about Rizzolo and where he is now.

What Happened to Rick Rizzolo?

Rick Rizzolo was the owner of the Las Vegas-based strip club Crazy Horse Too, located just off of the famous Las Vegas strip.

Rick Rizzolo's father, Bart Rizzolo, purchased the strip club from Mob member Tony Albanese in 1984, with his son, Rick Rizzolo overseeing the operations of the club. By 1986, Rick Rizzolo was the majority owner.

In 1995, authorities began investigating the Crazy Horse Too after a spate of violent crimes and suspected illegal activity over several years. For example, a man named Rick Sandlin suffered permanent brain damage after being beaten outside the club by Rick Rizzolo in 1985, who claimed he was acting in self-defense.

In court, Rick Rizzolo pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge and avoided jail time, reported the Las Vegas Weekly.

Then in 2001, Kirk Henry, a tourist from Kansas City filed a lawsuit against Crazy Horse Too after he suffered a broken neck whilst visiting the club. His injury would lead to the downfall of Rick Rizzolo and Crazy Horse Too.

Henry alleged he was beaten by Crazy Horse Too staff over a dispute regarding the check, which Crazy Horse Too disputed. As a result of the lawsuit, the authorities were allowed to open a criminal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) investigation. In 2002, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department launched a further criminal investigation into the club, which was later overtaken by the FBI.

In 2003, Crazy Horse Too was raided by government officials, including the FBI, DEA, Las Vegas Police and two SWAT teams, who were investigating links between the club and organized crime. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that numerous records and 170 items were seized.

As part of a plea bargain, Rick Rizzolo and 16 other club officials pleaded guilty to a single felony charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Rick Rizzolo was required to pay $17 million in fines and $10 million to tourist Nick Henry.

As heard in Unsolved Mysteries, the family of Barrier believes Rick Rizzolo may have had something to do with his death, disputing the authorities ruling it as an accidental death.

As a part of the criminal investigation, James Barrier, aka Buffalo Jim, gave evidence against Rick Rizzolo including photographs and other damaging information.

From 1984 until 2006, Barrier and Rick Rizzolo were involved in ongoing legal disputes over parking. Barrier was a commercial tenant of Rick Rizzolo's, running his successful automotive repair business. However, Rick Rizzolo wanted to remove Barrier from the land where it was located so he could expand Crazy Horse Too.

In 2002, Barrier even filed a harassment lawsuit against Rick Rizzolo, claiming the cars at his shop had been vandalized.

Just two days before Barrier was found dead in 2008, Rick Rizzolo was released from prison. Barrier's family and friends believe Rick Rizzolo may have either carried out or ordered the killing of Barrier as an act of revenge.

Barrier had received numerous death threats in the months and days leading up to his death, some stating Rick Rizzolo was planning to murder him.

One letter dated February 1, 2006 read: "BART RIZZOLO HAS BEEN OVERHEARD TELLING SOME OF HIS CLOSE CONTACTS THAT THERE WILL BE VIOLENT ATTACKS AGAINST YOU. HE HAS LET IT BE KNOWN THAT YOU WILL SUFFER IN THE NEAR FUTURE."

In a first-person article for Las Vegas Weekly, Joshua Longobardy, a journalist and friend of Barrier, said that in the days before he died, the promoter had been concerned for his safety, fearing Rick Rizzolo had ordered his death.

Longobardy wrote in his article: "Because I spoke to Barrier on a weekly basis, and because I had always known him to be a sensible man, I deemed his worries generally valid and told him so. 'Be aware of ambushes,' I said.

"He countered by stating his presentiment that his enemies—in name, the Rizzolo family and their associates—would try to get him through a stratagem. 'They're gonna try to do it through a woman,'" Longobardy wrote. 'Or they're gonna try to drug me.'"

Rick Rizzolo has never been charged in relation to Barrier's death.

Where Is Rick Rizzolo Now?

Today Rick Rizzolo is believed to living a much quieter life.

As a part of his plea deal, he had to sell Crazy Horse Too within one year but failed to do so. In 2007, the club was sized by the United States Marshals Service. It was later auctioned by the federal government and was reopened by Californian strip club owner Mike Galam in May 2013 but it closed in August 2014.

The building is expected to be demolished in the near future after it was badly damaged in a fire in June 2022.

Rick Rizzolo also ran into trouble with the law on numerous occasions following his release from prison in 2008.

In July 2014, he was indicted for trying to evade $2.5 million in employment and income taxes between 2006 and 2011.

In October 2017, he was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion, admitting to paying his employees in cash and under-reporting wages. At the time, he had been working as a Management and Senior Sales Consultant for an import company in Nevada.

If you know anything about the death of Buffalo Jim, you can submit a tip at https://unsolved.com/tips/.

Unsolved Mysteries is streaming on Netflix now. The final three episodes of season three will arrive on Tuesday, November 1.