Seattle- Two longtime strip club operators and two others are likely headed back to court to face criminal charges — and the possibility of jail time — in the Seattle political scandal known as Strippergate.

The state Supreme Court revived the case Thursday against Frank Colacurcio Sr., Frank Colacurcio Jr., Gil Conte and Marsha Furfaro, finding that they can be prosecuted for allegedly making illegal campaign donations to three Seattle City Council candidates in 2003.

The 6-3 ruling wipes away the reprieve the four received last year when a King County judge threw out the case.

“It is a serious case of political money laundering, and we are eager to bring it to trial as soon as possible,” King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng said in a written statement.

Attorney John Wolfe, who represents Frank Colacurcio Jr. and argued the case before the high court, called it a significant ruling that might make people less willing to cooperate in future elections investigations.

Wolfe said he believed people who violate the campaign finance laws of the state’s Public Disclosure Act “can be punished only by a civil fine and not a criminal prosecution.” He plans to ask the court to reconsider.

Furfaro is also disappointed, said her attorney, Robert Mahler. “This was a big cloud in her life,” he said, “and she is sad to have it back.”

The scandal stemmed from the Colacurcios’ efforts to get the City Council to let them expand the parking lot at Rick’s, a strip club on Lake City Way, after the request had been denied several times.

The Colacurcios, Conte and Furfaro were accused of overspending campaign-contribution limits — $650 per person — by getting friends, relatives and others to give money to three 2003 City Council candidates, then secretly paying them back.

Lake City resident Kelly Meinig, the first to publicly question the campaign contributions several years ago, said it’s appropriate that the four face criminal charges.

The Colacurcios “have long learned how to manipulate the system — they use their power and money to do that,” she said Thursday. “When things are corrupted, they need to be examined.”

The charges were unusual, if not unheard of, in Washington for such a situation. Prosecutors went beyond campaign finance laws, charging the four under a more general law that makes filing false documents a crime worth up to a year in jail.

Superior Court Judge Michael Fox dismissed the charges last year, finding that only civil penalties — such as fines — apply when campaign laws are broken.

The high court reinstated the charges Thursday. The Public Disclosure Act “helps ensure the integrity of government by preventing disproportionate or controlling influence by financially strong groups,” Justice Barbara Madsen wrote for the majority.

People who violate the law can be penalized through civil sanctions — or criminal prosecution “in the appropriate case,” Madsen wrote.

Dissenting, Justice Richard Sanders said the act — passed by voters in 1972 — allows only civil penalties; Justices Charles Johnson and Tom Chambers agreed.

The political fuss helped unseat City Councilwomen Heidi Wills and Judy Nicastro in 2003. Councilman Jim Compton, whose campaign also received some of the money, won re-election but has since left office.

The three ended up returning a total of $39,000 in contributions, the bulk of which had gone to Nicastro. Prosecutors have said there’s no evidence the council members had known the true source of the money.

The city’s Ethics and Elections Commission could still fine the Colacurcios, Conte, Furfaro — and anyone else who may have been involved. Executive Director Wayne Barnett said it’s “a complicated case” and could bring fines of $5,000 for each improper contribution.

Colacurcio Jr., 45, is an owner of Rick’s. His 89-year-old father, who was convicted of tax evasion and racketeering decades ago, headed a strip club empire for years but now suffers major health problems.

He currently faces an assault charge for an allegation that he groped a 23-year-old waitress at Rick’s. He was once convicted of the crime but successfully appealed.

Conte, 73, is a former lounge singer and associate of the Colacurcio family. Furfaro, 67, has been an office manager at Talents West, which hires strippers and is headquarters for the Colacurcios’ business enterprises.