California port official investigated for $4,500 bill at strip club

A high-ranking California official is reportedly being investigated for using $4,500 in public funds for a party at a Houston strip club.

The Houston Chronicle reports that Port of Oakland commissioners met during an emergency session Friday to discuss Maritime Director James Kwon and his $4,537 bill for a “drink and dinner reception” at Treasures, a gentleman’s club where Kwon partied with roughly a dozen shipping industry executives during a 2008 conference in Texas.

Kwon submitted a receipt for the reception that indicated it was held at D. Houston Inc., the name of the strip club’s parent company. Treasures has been accused of being the site of prostitution, drug dealing and weapons crimes dating back to 2008, the newspaper reports.

"Port commissioners take this matter very seriously," board President Gilda Gonzales said in a statement after their meeting.

Kwon, Port of Oakland’s maritime operations director since 2007, was not available for comment. He's attending another port conference in China, the newspaper reports.

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