Alleged swingers club in swank home shut down

ARLINGTON, Texas — A half-million-dollar home allegedly operating as a swingers club was shut down earlier this week after hosting parties since May.

Neighbors had been frustrated with the close to 60 parties that David Esopenko, who leases the house, had been having. The yard has been paved to accommodate 70 cars.

"This is a sexually oriented swingers' club in my neighborhood," said neighbor Jon Vecchio, who lives a few blocks away. "We don't want it here."

Arlington city officials are saying the home, dubbed Eutopia on a swingers website, is a business and shuttered it because of zoning violations.

Esopenko contends that Eutopia is not a business because he has no employees and does not charge an admission fee to his parties. Instead, he said he has a suggested donation of $80 per couple, $20 for a single woman and $80 for a single man.

The money covers snacks and drink setups, Esopenko said.

But city officials said as many as 200 people attended some parties, potential revenue of thousands of dollars in one night. They called Eutopia a business because it advertises, has regular hours — 8:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. weekends — and offers services such as food, beverages and condoms.

The house is furnished but unoccupied. Esopenko said he plans to move in.

"Yeah, right," Vecchio said. "I don't believe that any more than he's just having parties for a hundred of his closest friends."

Police officers, lawyers, teachers and nurses attended the parties, said Esopenko, who plans on appealing the city's order within 10 days.

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