this is "nightline." >> tonight, breaking news. harvey weinstein found guilty once again, this time in a los angeles courtroom. but what did the jury deadlock on? plus, nightclub nightmare. men who thought they were out for a fun night of partying in new york city waking up with their bank accounts empty. >> i didn't even remember anything. i was happy that i was alive. >> some even ending up dead. >> do you feel your son was murdered? >> yes, i do believe john was murdered. >> while the nypd tries to unravel the mystery. >> this is a modern twist on an old crime. >> are gay men in new york city being drugged and robbed after leaving with the wrong people at

bars? and the dark and twisted saga of the murder at chip pen dales. >> look, steve. >> no, you look. i am the boss. this is my club. you are my employee. >> comedian kamil nanjiani bringing it to real life. >> they were setting fire to other strip clubs. >> what attracted him to the role. >> to be able to play someone who has all these layers and all this darkness inside of him. >> plus, the famous photos that rocked the internet. >> "nightline" will be right back. this cough. [sfx: coughs] this'll help. vicks vaporub? vicks vaporub's ...medicated vapors

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♪ >> thanks for joining us. tonight, a los angeles jury handing disgraced movie producer harvey weinstein yet another guilty verdict. on one count of raping a woman and two on counts sexual assault. the 70-year-old was acquitted on one count of sexual battery. after nine days of deliberations, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on three other counts, including those involving jennifer siebel newsom, the wife of california governor gavin newsom. weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault in new york, but he is appealing that verdict. we turn now to a terrifying and deepening mystery in new york city.

young gay men drugged, robbed, their bank accounts empty after partying in clubs and bars. at least two men have died. one mom believes her 33-year-old son was murdered, but police are still investigating the case. here is abc's >> it's the worst phone call a mother can get or want to get. >> i want to thank you mom, thank you for keeping me, thank you for loving me. >> it's the greatest pain and anguish of anything. >> reporter: linda cleary believes someone may be targeting gay men at the bars in new york city. >> cops and volunteers out at hell's kitchen warning people headed into bars and nightclubs to be careful. >> men last seen alive dead after a night out. >> we've seen a decline in night life experience and safety on our streets. >> this is a modern twist on an old crime.

people will go into a nightclub and look for somebody they perceive as having money with an iphone and somebody's face, you can get immediately into a bank account and rob them blind. >> and she believes that her oldest son, 33-year-old john um burger was one of their victims. he was last seen alive walking out of this bar last summer with two men no one there knew. do you feel your son was murdered? >> yes, i do believe john was murdered. that may not have been the initial intent, but how can someone do the same thing to countless others and then to my son? >> reporter: she says she's still trying to learn how her son died, and believes the answer might be found in this surveillance video that police believe might be connected. it's from about six months before her son was killed in a different part of the city, and two men are seen going home with another possible victim from another gay bar. >> i feel like i was targeted,

probably because i was alone, and probably because i was already a bit drunk when i arrived at the bar. and my memory from that point is pretty fuzzy. i can't say for sure whether or not they drugged me. >> reporter: brian luke says he doesn't hide from the fact that he thought he was going home to have sex with the two men. and he says he is thankful he survived that night. john umberger who was in town for work from washington, d.c. was out earlier with his friends, but was at the bar alone. he too was seen leaving with two strangers in the early sunday morning hours of memorial day weekend. what was the moment where you suspected that something was wrong? >> monday of memorial day weekend, it was that monday. it seemed something was off, and then tuesday increasing cncerns, and then wednesday was the panic. i left a voice mail, saying in a panic. >> reporter: call me now. >> i need to know that you are

safe. and that didn't happen. >> reporter: were those messages being read? >> yes, yes. that's part of what the sinister aspect to what these people do. >> i even thought john was on facebook, because it indicated he was on face book and active. and i started reaching out the his boss to say did john come to work, what's going on? because we can't find him. >> reporter: when they did find him, he was dead at an apartment in the same building where he was working. someone using her son's phone and credit cards had stolen more than $20,000. >> detectives presented it as it looked like a drug overdose. and that perhaps john had gone out to the bars and had been robbed and was so depressed, he took a bunch of drugs. >> reporter: she refused to believe that he did this to himself, and flew from atlanta to new york, where she leaned on police and then started talking with the papers.

and then suddenly, her phone started ringing. how many people have you been hearing from who have shared similar stories? >> at this point, i would say over ten. >> reporter: wow. >> i did have two parents who reached out the me initially to say this happened to their sons. but fortunately, they lived. these are all living obviously victims. they are people who are successful in their careers, who present themselves as having something that somebody could take. >> reporter: despite her initial concerns, she has asked us to underline she is thankful for the new york city homicide detective who is working the case. >> every detective should be as good as he is. he has restated over and over and has shown it through his action his commitment to seeing people held accountable to their actions and keeping streets of new york safe. >> reporter: brian luke says they stole his phone, his wallet, and then made a long list of charges to his credit

and debit cards. in all, about $20,000. he says he doesn't feel ashame that he took these men into israel home, but says the police weren't as understanding. >> if i was reading between the lines of how my case was handled, it did feel like there was a degree of victim-blaming going on. i think they do some level of due diligence to look into what i reported, but i don't think i was taken quite as seriously as i would have hoped. >> reporter: oscar alarcon tells a similar story that happened more than two years ago. >> i didn't even remember anything. i was happy that i was alive. >> reporter: he works in the fashion industry. was out at a bar in the same neighborhood where clary's son was last seen this summer, and says he woke up confused in the lobby of a nearby hotel. >> i went to the police. like they never took me seriously. they make me feel like it was my fault, like did it to myself. all this could have been prevented in some way. >> reporter: then just outside the same gay bar in april of this year, 25-year-old julio ramirez was seen getting into a cab with three unknown men.

the three men disappeared. and according to authorities, ramirez spent the last moments of his life alone in the back seat of the cab. >> say his name! >> julio ramirez. >> reporter: he was a beloved social worker, and his death would bring people marching into the streets. >> i think people get targeted because they're an opportunity to get robbed. >> reporter: ramirez died more than a month before john umberger would also fail to live through the night and return his mother's phone calls. >> people have been hurt. people feel scared and afraid. and this has gone on too long because it is clear to me from people who have reached out to me this has happened since 2018. >> reporter: new york city police declined comment, citing that they're dealing with an ongoing investigation. they say it's not just gay men who are getting targeted. they know this is happening in both straight and gay night clubs across the city. and they say that after months of worry across new york, they've now arrested at leas

five men who are now facing grand larceny, identity theft, assault, and other charges. >> it wasn't always obvious at first because in an initial overdose or robbery doesn't make a pattern. but once they started to look into it and saw that it was happening over and over, this similar kind of conduct, that's when they began to realize that something more was at work here. >> reporter: police say they'll have a lot more to share very soon, and that more arrests are coming. >> we know who they are, and we have probable cause to arrest them. and our warrant squad is looking to pick them up. >> reporter: this former police chief did not speak to concerns that police may not have cared as much because many of the victims were gay, or because in some cases the victims willingly went home with the unidentified men. >> they usually target high-end jewelry, expensive watches, heavy gold chains, but also take their phones, use cash apps to transfer money out of their bank accounts. >> the police want people who go into these clubs know they could be vulnerable. they're already warning people not to accept drugs from people

they don't know to stay within their groups. but they want people to protect themselves as they go out just to have a good time. >> reporter: linda clary says that both she and authorities were surprised to find lidocaine, a numbing agent, and the deadly drug fentanyl in her son's system. there are many here who believe that the police investigations would have never gotten this far if she hadn't refused to be quiet or shamed. >> thank god for linda. that's what it says about her tenacity. her strength was exactly what we needed and her conviction is what we needed here in this city. >> reporter: how are you doing? >> each day has its moments. it's very hard. and it's like a wound not being able to heal, speaking out to prevent this from happening to anyone else and anyone else losing someone or being victimized. it is worth it, and that god will take care of me because i

know he is taking care of john. and he'll take care of all of us. >> our thanks to steve. coming up, my conversation with kumail nanjiani about his new series "welcome to chip pen dales." detect this: living with hiv, i learned i can stay undetectable with fewer medicines. that's why i switched to dovato. dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. detect this: no other complete hiv pill uses fewer medicines to help keep you undetectable than dovato. detect this: most hiv pills contain 3 or 4 medicines. dovato is as effective with just 2. research shows people who take hiv treatment as prescribed and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit hiv through sex. don't take dovato if you're allergic to its ingredients, or if you take dofetilide.

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kumail nanjiani sheds his funny man image for a new starring role in the movie "welcome to chippendales." it's a sordid and twisted tale

of greed behind the glitz and glamour of the famed dance review. earlier we sat down for a conversation. thank you so much for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> i want to talk about "welcome to chippendales." you star as steve bannerjee. you're also one of the vps. but for those of us who may not be familiar with the dark, tisted saga, give us an overview. >> most people know what chippendales is. cuff, collars, bow tie, not much else. but what people don't know is the guy who started it was this indian immigrant. and behind the scenes of chippendales for the first 15 years, there is a lot of drama. people got murdered. multiple people got murdered. they were setting fire to other strip clubs that were stealing that idea. so it's this really wild and intense true crime story that was happening behind sort of the glitz and glamour of the male dance review. >> and that is such a pivot for you. from comedy, you're known as dinesh in the hbo hit "silicon

valley." let's take a look at the clip and see you in action. >> look, steve. >> no, you look. i am the boss. this is my club, and you are my employee. you are all my employee. is that clear? is that clear? go. >> wow. you made yourself quite clear. >> yes, i thin i did. i think i did. >> you recently said in "people" magazine that you had no interest in playing boring characters, that you were interested in a flawed character like steve. why? >> i have never gotten a chance to play a character like this, to be able to really play someone who has all these layers and all that darkness inside of him. i knew it would be sort of an exciting challenge, because how do you play a bad guy while still making him in some ways relatable to the audience? how you make his darkness feel

like it's not just darkness. i knew it would be such a challenging role to play. >> you see so much of his journey up until those homicidal moments. but at the same time, there is a scene that involves racism where you talk about -- your character talks about feeling racism every day. but then subjecting a black dancer to a bit of racism by not featuring him in a calendar. why is it important to tackle issues like that? >> i feel like when we see racism in sort of american pop culture, we usual i will only see it from white people. so there is this almost sense that only white people can be racist. unfortunately, that's not true. i've experienced racism from people of all races. so i thought it was really interesting to explore racism from a completely new angle. this is a guy who has been the victim of racism. and instead of that leading to more everyonely for other people, he is turning around and being racist to other people. >> i found it absolutely fascinating. your other big project is "the

big sick." it wasn't just a love story. >> and one more thing, i'm moving to new york to pursue stand-up. but i am not leaving this family. >> it was really about complicated relationships and families and a little bit of undercurrent of race as well. >> yeah, it was. you know, for me, i think it's really interesting to ask these questions. i don't know what the answer to these questions is, you know. i think it's just important for us to really look at it and sit in it. and i think t"the big sick" whih is a comedy, it really is about culture clash too." it's about the things that get in the way when people are trying to connect and love each over. >> you really set the internet on fire with your body transformation. you said recently you didn't like to talk about it because it create so much agita. what was it that was turned up by that discussion? i talked to other male actors who say there is a tremendous amount of scrutiny on men now

too. and you're feeling that. >> yes. suddenly you have this pressure to always look a certain kind of way. and i think when i put out those pictures, i had not put thought into the fact that me putting out those pictures may be actually upholding certain ideals of what a male form should look like, ideals that are very unrealistic in many ways unhealthy. and my mind has changed 100 different ways about it since then. i think the most important thing is to be comfortable with yourself and how you look and try and be happy with who you are and what you do. i think that's by far the most important project we have in life. >> i am amazed that you emigrated to this country for college. shout out to grinnel, was it? >> grinnel. >> very well done. but also, at this point, you've had so many accolades. is stand-up again back in your future? what's next for you? >> i would love to do stand-up again. it's my favorite thing. it's so fun. it's just me and the stage. you don't have to worry about

studios giving you notes. you just completely control it. i don't think it will be next year. i actually did a quick little show recently, and it suddenly woke up a part of me. this is so much fun. so i think it's going to be a while, unfortunately. >> you are very much in demand. so we're grateful for you to be here with us today. >> thank you so much for having me. >> and "welcome to chippendales" is now streaming on hulu, which is owned by disney, abc's parent company. up next, mariah's song, the kid who impressed mariah carey with his rend dagsition want for christmas." >>. ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ as someone living with type 2 diabetes, i want to keep it real and talk about some risks. with type 2 diabetes you have up to 4 times greater risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. even at your a1c goal, you're still at risk ...which if ignored could bring you here... ...may put you in one of those...

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that's why i switched to dovato. dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. detect this: no other complete hiv pill uses fewer medicines to help keep you undetectable than dovato. detect this: most hiv pills contain 3 or 4 medicines. dovato is as effective with just 2. research shows people who take hiv treatment as prescribed and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit hiv through sex. don't take dovato if you're allergic to its ingredients, or if you take dofetilide. taking dovato with dofetilide can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. hepatitis b can become harder to treat while on dovato. don't stop dovato without talking to your doctor, as your hepatitis b may worsen or become life-threatening. serious or life-threatening side effects can occur, including allergic reactions, lactic acid buildup, and liver problems. if you have a rash or other allergic reaction symptoms, stop dovato and get medical help right away. tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver problems,

or if you are, may be, or plan to be pregnant. dovato may harm your unborn baby. use effective birth control while on dovato. do not breastfeed while taking dovato. most common side effects are headache, nausea, diarrhea, trouble sleeping, tiredness, and anxiety. detect this: i stay undetectable with fewer medicines. ask your doctor about switching to dovato.

and finally tonight, the fourth grade were autism who is getting lots of attention for singing this christmas classic. ♪ ♪ all i want for christmas ♪ >> that's knox johnson singing mariah carey's "all i want for christmas is you" in baltimore. his mom posted it, hoping the superstar would see it, and she did. writing on twitter, knox, you made my day. your joy gives me and everyone watching joy. thank you for reminding me why i wake up in the morning and do what i do. and she does it so well. that's "nightline." you can watch all of our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.