2 charged in bust of 'illegal speakeasy' in Pittsburgh

Two people face charges related to an illegal speakeasy busted late last month in Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes neighborhood, according to the Bureau of Liquor Control and Enforcement.

Angelo Reynolds, 31, and William Bagley, 36, are both accused of violating state liquor laws by operating bar called Bridgez on Arlington Avenue near the border between the South Side Slopes and Allentown.

Court records did not list an attorney for either man as of Wednesday afternoon.

According to the criminal complaints, the BLCE received a complaint about the bar in October, and an undercover agent visited the bar Oct. 22. The agent staked out the bar for about a half hour starting at 12:30 a.m. and watched a number of people come and go.

At the door, a man behind a cash register told the agent there was a $25 entry fee, and that fee also covered drinks, according to the complaint. Inside were about 30 people, and the agent ordered a shot of Hennessey and a Colt 45 from the bartender. The agent noted dozens of bottles of liquor on a shelf behind the bar and other alcohol inside a cooler.

By the time the agent left the bar around 2 a.m., according to the complaint, there were around 50 patrons inside.

A search warrant served about 9 p.m. the next day turned up 60 liters of liquor, nine gallons of other alcohol, $500 in cash and “other various items associated with the illegal speakeasy,” authorities wrote in the complaint.

Reynolds identified himself to authorities as co-owner of the bar and indicated it was used to host private events, according to the complaint. He said he charged event planners and event hosts a fee that went toward general upkeep like rent, payroll, the jukebox and utilities.

Bagley arrived at the bar and told police he, too, was a co-owner, authorities said. Asked if the bar was ever open to the public, Reynolds said that was up to the event host, according to the complaint. Reynolds also said a cover charge is up to the host, though police noted signage near the entryway that read “everyone must pay $25 no exceptions.”

In addition to the cash and alcohol, police also found an AR-15 rifle and ballistic vest, as well as beer and liquor receipts, according to the complaint.

A post on the establishment’s Facebook page, which lists Bridgez as a social club, indicated authorities had given them the green light after the earlier searches and charges: “Before we opened Friday night (the) health department, LCB, Pittsburgh building inspector, fire marshal and Pittsburgh police came to inspect Bridgez. … Said we are good and left us open. It’s Halloween. See y’all tonight.”