Investigates

DENVER (CBS4) ― Personal information on clients of a now-shuttered Denver gym has turned up in a very public place.

Two weeks ago the Internal Revenue Service shut down the "Anti-Gym" for non-payment of payroll taxes. Somehow many of the gym's records turned up outside in the trash. CBS4 Investigator Rick Sallinger was alerted and recovered some of them. The documents included information that could be used for anything from identity theft to even blackmail.

There was information about gay relationships, divorces, clients on birth control, those with breast enlargements and more.

The Anti-Gym was a daring concept. Located at 2134 Curtis, the gym had dancing girls in cages, live deejays and even trainers in drag. Presiding over it all was brash owner, Michael Karolchyk.

"At the Anti-Gym we focus on looking better because looking and feeling sexy is everything to a woman and a guy's dreams," Karolchyk told Nancy Fitzgerald of MyAmericanWoman.com last year.

But despite hundreds of clients and expansion to a second location, the music suddenly stopped for the Anti-Gym. Agents from the Internal Revenue Service came in Jan. 28 and shut the place down, seizing the assets. The IRS plans to auction the assets off next month, but many of the gym's records ended up in a very insecure place -- the dumpster right outside on Curtis Street.

Files filled with personal information were deposited out in the open where anyone could walk off with them for any purpose. CBS4 showed one former Anti-Gym client the information about her that was found in the dumpster.

"This is pretty personal information and it's pretty embarrassing too -- pretty embarrassing -- wow," she said.

Anti-Gym wellness questionnaires were filled out by other clients revealing what medications they were taking, including birth control and anti-depressants. These too were found in a dumpster outside the gym.

Many clients of the gym shared private details of their lives with their trainers. Some of that information ended up in writing later left in the trash for anyone to see.
There's a woman who hoped she didn't have lymphoma. Another had breast cancer; while another revealed she had breast augmentation.

There were also notes that seem to be by a trainer about his clients, including some very negative words with expletives.

"I'm glad I didn't give them very much of my business, and if that's the type of stuff they write about people, that's a testament of where the company is at right now," a former client told CBS4.

The Anti-Gym worked hard to retain its clients. Personal information containing reasons why some stopped coming came was kept in folders. A man's breakup with his boyfriend is noted. In an email, a woman revealed to her trainer that her husband doesn't want to be married anymore.

By phone from Nevada, Karolchyk strongly insisted he wasn't the one who left the Anti-Gym records in the dumpster.

"I don't have any control over this. The bottom line is when the IRS came in, they gave me a little bit more than a half an hour, okay, to help inventory the stuff," Karolchyk said.

Karolchyk says he personally took all credit card information with him. However, records CBS4 found in the dumpster contained several credit card numbers complete with names, expiration dates and security codes.

The IRS says it did not dump the gym's records in the dumpster.

Neighbors told CBS4 they saw Karolchyk taking items from his apartment at the gym and tossing them into the trash. However, Karolchyk says he didn't do it.

The documents obtained by CBS4 have now been shredded.

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