SAN DIEGO -- Three San Diego City Council members accused of taking a strip club owner's bribes were entrapped by FBI agents and a detective, their lawyers contend in a misconduct motion filed against the government.

According to a federal grand jury indictment returned Aug. 28, Ralph Inzunza, Charles Lewis and Michael Zucchet took money as part of an effort to get a no-touch rule at local strip clubs repealed.

But according to a defense motion The San Diego Union-Tribune obtained Monday, the councilmen favored abolishing the rule only because they were led to believe vice detectives wanted that.

The federal government used San Diego vice Detective Russ Bristol and a longtime FBI "spy" to convince the councilmen that the vice unit would rather be fighting crime than enforcing no-touch rules at strip clubs, the defense contends, according to the Union-Tribune.

The councilmen would not have sought the change had they believed the vice unit would object, the motion states.

"The totality of this investigation was an alleged crime created by and catalyzed by the United States government," the motion states. "In order to assist their investigation, the FBI attempted to manufacture conduct where none otherwise would have existed."

The councilmen want the government to turn over evidence relating to Bristol and the FBI spy, which could be used as the basis for a motion to dismiss the case.

The motion has been submitted but not officially filed with the court. The defense missed the premotion filing deadline and asked the judge for a hearing on the motion.

According to the indictment, Las Vegas resident Michael Galardi, owner of the Cheetahs strip clubs, manager John D'Intino and Lance Malone, a Galardi lobbyist, conspired to get the no-touch rule at strip clubs repealed by giving thousands of dollars to the councilmen.

The indictment also alleged that Galardi, D'Intino and Malone paid Bristol, the undercover San Diego vice detective, who they believed was on the take, for advance notice of police inspections of Cheetahs in Kearny Mesa.

Lawyers for the councilmen say any payments the trio received were legally reported as campaign contributions.

The councilmen and Malone pleaded not guilty to the charges. Galardi and D'Intino pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the others.