LODI — A violent armed robbery of the Satin Dolls strip club in December occurred amid the owner's cooperation with a federal investigation of illegal activity by several crime families, according to court records reviewed by The Record.

Both the prosecution and defense argued in court that the cooperation of Anthony "Tony Lodi" Cardinalle posed a significant risk to his safety, and a defense attorney speculated his cooperation and the robbery were linked, the newspaper reported.

Cardinalle and 31 others were accused in January 2013 of working with rival crime families to take over legitimate garbage companies, the New York Post reported.

This past December, Cardinalle pleaded guilty to racketeering and extortion charges following an undercover federal investigation, and, as part of a plea deal, he shared information with federal prosecutors about efforts to control the garbage-hauling business, the newspaper reported.

On Dec. 21, two men armed with shotguns robbed Cardinalle's strip club of $30,000, NJ Advance Media reported. Cardinalle was reportedly attacked by the bandits during the robbery.

Two weeks later, his club was burglarized when someone smashed the front glass door and attempted to pry open an office door in an apparent attempt to reach the safe.

Satin Dolls was used as the setting for the fictional Bada Bing Club on HBO’s "The Sopranos.”

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.