It felt like a Prohibition-era moment. Investigators from multiple law enforcement agencies descended on the The Mount Carmel Society social club in the South End without warning in the late afternoon of Aug. 15, 2019. They were armed and in great numbers, according to witnesses, quizzing employees and board members about their alcohol inventory.

“They looked like a SWAT team. What they encountered was a handful of elderly gentlemen having coffee and playing cards. There may have been one guy having a beer at the bar. I think it was clear they were expecting something different,” said the club’s attorney, Daniel D. Kelly.