Dusty's Sworn Statement

Dusty handwrote this statement and had it notarized on the way to the courthouse the day that she was finally called by the State of Florida to testify. The notary was subpoenaed on the same day, and immediately after Dusty's testimony. I have transcribed it precisely as she wrote it from my own copy. It is Orange County, Florida Circuit Court Case No. 2001-CF-015492-A, as outlined in my previous post and in Memoirs.


To: Honorable Judge Anthony Johnson Jan. 12, 2003

OSWP Case# 2001-0070-CFD Vicky Lynn Gallas

From: Suzanne Irmischer Redfern

Respectfully:

Your honor I was called to testify in regards to the above case # by the State of Florida.

I met agent Brant Rose at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at Orlando International Airport two to three weeks before my arrest in March of 1996. At the time I had no idea that he was an agent or worked for the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. It was a Full Service call. It was on a Monday between the hours of 11:00AM – 2:00PM. When I arrived I walked into the room he asked me how much. I told him $160 per hour. He then offered me $100 extra not to use protection. I was offended. After we settled our dispute either "my way or the highway" I stayed for 20 minutes and left with $160.

I then came down with a bad case of bronchitis and didn't come back to Orlando to work for two to three weeks.

My first date back to work was the night of my arrest in March of 1996. Vicky phoned me to know a man that went by the name Tim Moody from Arkansas was in town working for Martin Marietta staying at a condo off Curry Ford Road. Shortly after I arrived I was arrested by Agent Paul Winsett. SWAT unit was hiding in garage. They came in undercover with black masks. To my surprise there behind the mask was my Last date that I ran into at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. So now I knew he worked for M.B.I. but I still had no idea who he was since he had used an alias on our first meeting.

June 2000

I awoke late afternoon to find a subpoena in my door jam from an Agent Eddie Byrons [FDLE Agent Eddy Baron] to report to M.B.I. office in late June early July of 2000. I did as requested.

I was escorted to an interrogation room with Eddie Byrons [Eddy Baron]. Shortly after Agent Brant Rose entered room and formally introduced himself. I replied I know who you are. You've lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw you and he thanked me for compliment. He then questioned me about my A.T.&T. cell phone and why I had it turned off?

My answer: I was offered a better deal with Bellsouth.

Then he started asking me questions about Vicky Gallas, her business etc. – I explained that I hadn't spoken to Vicky in 2 years. (If he was monitoring my phone he would have known this). I really didn't have the answers he wanted. Then he starts asking me questions that I answered the night of my arrest. He explained that he didn't want me, he wanted Vicky and that the witness subpoena would protect me. I explained I couldn't give him information that I really didn't have because we weren't in contact.

I did phone her once after I received the witness subpoena to find out what was going on. She explained she had placed a complaint with someone at M.B.I. other than that no idea. So there I was, Brant Rose continued to ask me questions like how many times I had sex on my dates etc.--- I thought the questions were more personal than professional and I told him so.

He then started threatening me that if I didn't answer his questions that he would put me in jail. It would be 30 days before I would see a judge and if I still didn't answer they could hold me up to 90 days.

These were questions asked the night of my arrest in March 1996. It was crazy. Then it was brought up again my witness subpoena would protect me from prosecution. That's when I told Mr. Rose the snake story I heard while watching Church one Sunday. A preacher went to an Indian Reservation to try and convert the Indians to Christianity. He was conversing with the Indian Chief about traditions and how when your confirmed your considered an adult in the Christian faith. The Indian Chief explained that there tradition is to take a brave and put him into the forest from full moon to full moon and when he returned he was considered a man.

Well they took a brave and put him into the forest by a strong rushing stream. The fish were jumping, there were tall pine trees, tall mountains and on the tallest mountain there was a snow cap. The brave having time to kill decided to climb the mountain and touch the snow. When he reached the top of the mountain out crawled a snake saying Help me! Help me! to the brave. If you leave me up here I'll freeze to death and surely die. Please take me to the bottom of the mountain for I don't have legs to carry me. The brave said I will not you will bite me and fill me with your poison and I will surely die. The snake replied would I do that to such a friend that would do me the honor of saving my life? So with a lot of haggling on the snakes part the Indian picked up the snake and put him in his coat and started down the mountain. When he reached the bottom the Indian took the snake out of his jacket turned to walk away and BAMM the snake bites the Indian. The Indian then turns looks at the snake and said but you promised! And the snake replied you knew what I was when you picked me up.

Mr. Rose sat for a moment to think about what I had just said. Got angry told me he didn't want to hear any more stories and stormed out of the interrogation room. Agent Paul Winsett came in and told me my rights. I explained that I didn't have the information that Mr. Rose wanted. I hadn't spoken to Miss Gallas in almost 2 years. Then Mr. Winsett walked me out.

Then all was quiet until late August 2001. I received a phone call from Miss Gallas informing me that one of her girls was detained by Brant Rose, then he stated my name to girl named Kelly and did she know Susan Redfern and that I no longer work in Orlando because I have AIDS and did she know who I was. My answer to Vicky was I wonder who or what gave him that idea. 3 days later I received a call from a client telling me he had phoned "All Angelas," spoke to Terri Isaacs who claimed "her cop buddy told her I have AIDS." No wonder my phones stopped ringing! Well it just so happened that I had just gone to the health department for a 6 month check and the results were negative. So Vicky and I knew that Terri was in contact with Brant Rose. Vicky closed Valentines September 2001. We spoke that day she phoned to let me know. We spoke again sometime in October and then again after her arrest in November.

Sometime in the beginning of December 2001 Mr. Brant Rose came with a witness subpoena for a deposition December 20th 2001. He delivered the subpoena himself along with a Brevard County Sheriff Officer to my door. The date from Hell is also a witness in this case and asking me questions?

I contacted an attorney John Natori from Orlando, told him all the above story. He was busy on the 20th and asked to postpone the depo until after Christmas – John Craft refused! Mr. Natori referred me to James Craner who came with me to depo on Dec. 20th. I also explained all of the above story to him as well as Robert Mihalek's attorney at the time Ken Weaver.

I arrived on Dec. 20th 2001 with my attorney James Craner who was not allowed to speak or advise me. Mr. Craft stated that I would be given 30 years if I didn't answer his questions. What kind of justice is this? I'm afraid of these people that's why I brought an attorney. I have turned off all my phones and have lived in fear for the past year. I took a job where I worked 7 nights a week so no one could say I was elsewhere to discredit me as a witness for this case. I have sat outside in your hallway all week everyday – Monday – Thursday to testify.

Oh and one last thought to ponder. Tuesday afternoon Mr. Rose was sitting in hallway. I was there with my friend. I started a conversation with Mr. Rose but not pertaining to case. Towards end of conversation he mentioned that he would be over in Brevard [County] working the Boardroom case and staying at the Radisson at the Port? after this case was over? Now why would a special agent want me to know where he would be staying? I wonder?

Thank you your honor for taking the time to read my statement.


Sincerely,

Suzanne Irmischer Redfern

[Notary information]

Trial Surprise

In Memoirs of an Accused Madam: The War on Adult Business in Orlando, chapter eight (8) is entitled: "From the Defendant's Perspective: A Bizarre Trial." Towards the end of the chapter I discuss the situation that occurred when Dusty was forced by the State of Florida to testify. Prosecutors subpoenaed her and demanded that she be present in the hallway from the moment the trial began on Monday, January 6, 2003, until they finally decided to call her to the stand on Monday afternoon, January 13th. That was their mistake.


What prosecutors didn't consider is the level of anger that she had reached by the time that they called her. Well, on Sunday evening before her testimony, Dusty handwrote a lengthy letter to the judge and then followed-up by having it notarized on her way to court on Monday morning. The act of notarizing the statement transformed it into a sworn affidavit.

I had no idea what Dusty included in the letter, and as the later investigation by prosecutors revealed, played no part whatsoever in her making the statement. In the investigation that followed her testimony, Florida's Office of Statewide Prosecution even subpoenaed the notary public that had notarized this document, and then investigated every allegation in it. The results of the investigation were hidden, at least from the defense, and shortly thereafter the file disappeared in its entirety from the Orange County Clerk of Court's office. The case is Case No. 2001-CF-015492-A. My co-defendant's (Rocky and Beth) case numbers are the same except that the letters at the end are "B" and "C" respectively.

The only thing that I know concerning the end result of the investigation is that Dusty was not charged with perjury and was not approached by prosecutors or any agent of the State of Florida again in relation to my case.

The jury was immediately sent out of the courtroom – the moment that Dusty handed the envelope with the sworn affidavit to the judge as she sat on the stand. So the jury never did get to see a copy of this affidavit and my attorney, Stephen Wolverton, was not allowed to refer to it when the he cross-examined Dusty. As I stated in Memoirs, after she presented the affidavit her testimony was quickly concluded by the examining prosecutor.

Circuit Court Judge Anthony Johnson's clerk was instructed to make copies of the affidavit for the judge, the file, the defense, and the prosecutors, so this is not a secret document by any stretch of the imagination. It did disappear with the rest of the documents in the file. The file was 3 overstuffed volumes, perhaps 6-8 inches of papers in each volume. After the disappearance from the clerk's office, the recreated file contained only some documents from the prosecutor's office, and of course this sworn affidavit was among the many missing documents. Soon the recreated file disappeared also. Today there is a file consisting of 1 volume that is 1 to 1 ½ inches thick.

I do have in my possession most documents from the original file. I have several copies of the sworn affidavit submitted by Dusty. She also gave a copy to Local News 6 investigative reporter Tony Pipitone; however, the station did not use it in their documentary on the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. When the documentary was made back in 2003, the MBI former director exerted pressure on any news outlet. Before long the show disappeared from the station's website, but of course I have a copy of the tape that was mailed to me by Tony Pipitone. A copy of the affidavit was also given to an investigative reporter with the Orlando Weekly, but the newspaper didn't use it in their 10-page story about the MBI, "The Morality Police," by William Dean Hinton. In fact, no news outlet actually listed the correct charges that I was on trial for, or included any of the really incriminating facts concerning the MBI.

I also have all court hearings and the entire trial on CDs and obviously could prove anything that I state regarding my trial and the court hearings. I so tire of being discredited – like with the 2 reviewers of my book that state it is not believable and assert that I deserved it all. The last reviewer is clearly from the law enforcement profession – perhaps actively or perhaps retired. The MBI has friends in Tennessee – they filmed shows together on Spike TV that they also sell on Amazon.

As stated in Memoirs, I stand by all that I stated – it is a non-fiction book, and I categorized it as "true crime" with subcategories of "criminals," "criminology," and "organized crime" as the agents were the criminals that operated as an organized criminal group.

I did not include a copy of this sworn affidavit in Memoirs, though I am not sure why, except perhaps for the same reasons that I gave all of the agents of the state aliases. This case is a matter of public record and any document in the files can indeed be posted herein, published in a book, or published on the internet; regardless that the guilty parties stole the file from the courthouse. I am finished being the patsy that covers their identities to protect their privacy. Not one ever had any concern for my privacy. Today almost all involved agents are retired care of Florida taxpayers.

The next posting on this blog is the infamous sworn affidavit.

Dusty was always Dusty to me, from the moment that I met her, but her real name is Suzanne Irmischer Redfern. Suzanne was a great friend and she died on March 3, 2008.


Rest in Peace Suzanne


February 1, 1958 – March 3, 2008

The Conspiracy Charge

This is written from a defendant perspective and is not a legal guide, and no, that is not a disclaimer, but I do want the reader to understand where the point of view is derived. Some statements may be in disagreement with legal viewpoints, so don't bother to quote case law as it is immaterial herein, and chances are great that I am already aware.


Though the charging of a conspiracy has earlier roots in history, the modern use began with the War on Drugs and drug conspiracy charges. It is an available statute that is frequently misused and abused by state and federal prosecutors. I know this for fact as I was charged and tried for the Florida statutes: Racketeering (RICO), F.S. 895.03(3) and Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering (RICO), F.S. 895.03 (4).

Florida Statute 895.03(3) states:

“It is unlawful for any person employed by, or associated with, any enterprise to conduct or participate, directly or indirectly, in such enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity or the collection of an unlawful debt.”

Florida Statute 895.03 (4) states:

“It is unlawful for any person to conspire or endeavor to violate any of the provisions of subsection (1), subsection (2), or subsection (3).”

I did rip apart the "racketeering" basis of the charge in Memoirs, but never really gutted the "conspiracy" allegations. I had 2 co-defendants – Rocky and Beth – and each pled guilty to the conspiracy charge (F.S. 895.04(4)). One part of the plea agreement that each entered into was to testify against me in court concerning our alleged conspiracy. The other parts involved helping agents and prosecutors develop other cases (setting other people up). Prosecutors never did call Rocky to testify for a variety of reasons, but while sitting in jail with "no bond" after our arrest, he made a lengthy and wild statement. The day that he made his statement, after spending almost 3 months in jail without a bond, he was given a $20K bond and released, a violation of the United States Constitution. The bond was an undocumented part of his plea deal.

At the base of Rocky's jailhouse statement was that he was my partner and we were in business together. The root of the entire case was an informant's statement (Theresa Isaacs/Ryssdal/Raines) that she knew that Rocky and I were in business together, and even a claim that Rocky had introduced her to me. So what agents and prosecutors did was have Rocky confirm the informant's statement after our arrest. Indeed it was a baseless allegation, but then informants make-up crap for prosecutors and agents every minute of every day in this country. It is how the system works.

Ironically, the truth as to where I met Theresa was far worse to me at that point in time. But guess what? When I testified in my defense, prosecutors did not ask the question. They knew better than to go there. By the time we reached trial, time limitations had set in and I couldn't possibly be included in the federal mess – it was too late to turn back that clock and have their informant (Theresa) and my co-defendant change their statements. When they directed Theresa to make the statement that she did to begin with, they had already reached the point of no return, and that was ten months before my arrest.

I actually met Theresa through a woman named Judy (Kathy in Memoirs) in Miami. The evil part of this is that agents and prosecutors were all too aware of exactly how Theresa met me, but chose to charge me as they did because it was more of a case than it would have been to try and include me in the federal mess. So Theresa lied and they all knew it. Florida's Office of Statewide Prosecution was working with feds prosecuting "the Circuit" case with its Miami roots. "The Circuit" case was a huge federal mess, and Theresa was at the center, though none of the defendants ever knew that as each pleaded guilty to one charge or another.

So there was my poor drugged co-defendant in the Orange County, Florida jail unknowingly cementing his own conspiracy conviction. Yes, he was on a lengthy list of psychotropic drugs while in the jail, prescribed by the State's psychiatrist.

We all know that they couldn't have all of that come out in a courtroom during trial, so prosecutors never called Rocky to testify. The next irony was that prosecutors claimed at his sentencing hearing that he didn't complete his plea deal by testifying against me and requested, and received, a 36 month prison sentence and 10 years of felony probation upon release. Of course they also received the fines and costs of $26K and poor Rocky still has 5 more years of felony probation and is still making his monthly payments.

When a conspiracy is charged alleging that 2 parties are in business together, any acts committed by one of the parties is attributed to the other. So what I got in the end was a bunch of idiotic escorts that worked for Rocky's business simply testifying as to how he did business, things he stated to them, and specific situations between each of the escorts and Rocky. I never knew any of them, but in a charged conspiracy this is entirely immaterial.

That is what a conspiracy charge can do for prosecutors, and in my case, the basis of the charge was false to begin with; a fact known by all agents and prosecutors.

Do you get it? Apply this concept to War on Drugs and War on Terror cases for the complete picture.

Justice is an Illusion

Justice is most often elusive today. The U.S. criminal justice system has never been perfect, though prior to the enactment of the USA Patriot Act on October 26, 2001, it was one of the better systems in the world. At least one could go through life with the illusion that it ranked right up there with the best before that date, whether it was true or not. Today our justice system falls in rank to one of the worst in the Western world.


The Bush administration brought us deserved disdain from around the world. This outspoken contempt didn't last long though, and they all quickly backed-off. After all, the potential financial sanctions that the U.S. could dish out serve a purpose. Bush told the world: "Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists." The rest of the world got the message. Remember when we had dolts running around boycotting France? As if the French people care about our "french fries"! What they did care about was the boycotting of French wines and France. Yes, it all served its purpose with the followers and worst idiots at the front of the line.

I am not a religious person, but I am spiritual and I do believe it reincarnation. I believe that organized religion serves to divide humanity. Throughout history one organized religion or another has been targeted. Muslims are the target du jour at this point in history; in this decade and this will clearly continue for at least the next decade. I have often not understood why more Muslims do not speak out against the targeting of their own and of the invasion and occupation of nation-states dominated by those of the Islamic faith. Indeed many do, but obviously not enough or the target practice would have already been discontinued.

You must stand-up to the bully, or the bully will always win. Attempting to placate the bully will never help. This is something that I learned from the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI). The MBI bullied every adult business (gambling, slots, bingo, escort services, massage parlors, adult clubs, rave clubs etc...) in the metro Orlando area by threatening everyone, from the owners to the workers, with racketeering charges and decades in prison. This agency tossed around the word "racketeering" as if they were tossing a salad. The worst part was that they followed-up on all of this and these were not mere threats. Still, all crumbled in their hands like croutons in that salad.

Today this is transpiring in the War on Terror. One person in this decade that has fought the bully at each attack is Dr. Sami Al-Arian. A federal jury acquitted Al-Arian on some counts and deadlocked on all other counts. The jury did not convict on any count. He has been a political prisoner – yes, we have this in the U.S. too – since 2003 and under house arrest since September of 2008. There are many others that fought for their rights in this War on Terror, but most tumble in the end through no fault of their own.

Several other cases stand out in the war, mainly because few victim-defendants take it to trial and are found not guilty by a jury. Most are charged with "material support to terrorism" under the USA Patriot Act. When the U.S. government loses – watch out – this is the worst of the sore losers that you will ever encounter in life. The DOJ takes the statement "payback is hell" to new extremes in the War on Terror.


Cases that stand out in the crowd:

Youssef Megahed – Acquitted by a federal jury in Tampa in April of 2009. Retribution was quick and ICE arrested Mr. Megahed, with the goal of deporting him, several days after his acquittal. Several jurors on the federal jury wrote statements protesting his re-arrest by ICE. An immigration judge tossed out the case and released him in August 2009. His co-defendant pled guilty in the federal case. Megahed fought the great fight, and won.

Lyglenson Lemorin – One of the "Miami 7 - Sears Tower plot" that was actually engineered by the FBI and an informant. The entire case was a farce. The government should be ashamed – very ashamed. The federal jury in Miami acquitted Lemorin and deadlocked on his co-defendants in December of 2007. Lemorin was immediately arrested by ICE, but has not been as lucky as Megahed. I know that he was not released by the immigration judge; however, I cannot find any further information. Most likely he is in a secret ICE camp.

Naudimar Herrera – One of the remaining "Miami 6 - Sears Tower plot" defendants. Later they became known as the "Liberty City Six". He was acquitted by the jury in May 2009 on the government's third try! Trial number three worked for Herrera; however, the jury convicted his five co-defendants. Mr. Herrera endured 3 federal trials, two of which ended in a deadlock, and was acquitted. He was not attacked by the government after it was all over, and he spends much of his time attempting to help his former co-defendants. This is one man that I'd like to meet…

Muhammad Salah and Abdelhaleem Ashqar – Both were acquitted by a federal jury in Chicago in February of 2007 on a racketeering charge; however, were convicted on an obstruction of justice charge. They were accused of being a part of a 15-year long conspiracy to finance Hamas. Both were college professors at one time.

Sami Omar Al-Hussayen – A federal jury in Idaho acquitted this Saudi graduate computer science student and webmaster on all counts in June 2004. This case was an inspiration and an early defeat of the USA Patriot Act. This was truly the test case and the trial took place while Bush was still popular with much of the U.S. population. They lost, Al-Hussayen won, and justice prevailed! When it was all over he was deported, but I'd imagine that this was a non-issue to him at that point.

I am sure that there are cases in the U.S. courts resulting in acquittals that I am unaware of, though this list is of cases that I saw in the news as they transpired and applauded the defendants for their strength in fighting the unjust prosecutions. There is a lengthy list of cases from other countries that have resulted in acquittals. Most convictions in the War on Terror cases are prosecuted with the flimsiest evidence imaginable and most defendants plead guilty out of fear more than anything else. When you think about it the War on Drugs is similar when the "conspiracy" charge is utilized in prosecution.

More on the "conspiracy" charge in the near future.

Once in a while justice does prevail in the United States.

The Fabozzi Case

In Memoirs of an Accused Madam: The War on Adult Business in Orlando I wrote about a large family from Brooklyn that had moved to the Orlando area and opened escort services. I also stated that they had no clue what they were in for when they encountered the MBI. In the book I named Joseph Fabozzi "Johnny" and Carmine Fabozzi "Paulie".


I also wrote about the Fabozzi case in Skeletons in the Closet and refer to it in Operation Plastic Empire (MBI), though the second reference doesn't name the Fabozzis.

Joey Fabozzi, Carmine Fabozzi, and Mario Fabozzi were actually nice people. If you read the book you might recall that Carmine (Paulie) was a professional chef. Carmine is now deceased. He died of a drug overdose – I believe this happened in 2004. I just looked on the Florida Department of Corrections website and noted that Joey Fabozzi's probation is extended once again. His probation has been continuously extended since his release from prison after 4 years in this 1995 case. This family was plagued by drug problems; something that I consider a health issue. I find it sad.

All three of the Fabozzis pled guilty in the racketeering case charged back in 1995, and the remaining two have yet to be released from probation for one reason or another. According to Carmine, in a telephone call that I received from him while awaiting trial in 2002, they all pled guilty because the infamous Agent Rose of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) convinced them that I had proffered a 7-page statement against them. The former agent is now retired care of Florida taxpayers. Of course Rose lied to them, and as a matter of fact, the agent lied frequently and in great depth. In the book I named him "Ross" although his real name is Brant Rose, and I sure do not have a reason to conceal his identity for him.

I mailed Joey a book to the only address that I could find for him, but never received any type of acknowledgement – not even a "screw you bitch." I don't think he received it. I am going to mail Mario one in the coming week at his place of incarceration. I didn't before because I figured that FL DOC would toss it in the garbage, but perhaps not.

Of course I never made any type of statement about the Fabozzis. Carmine informed me that Rose only got away with this lie as he convinced them that I worked for the MBI and it is how I remained in business. It sure is revealing of how drugs can cloud a person's mind. The MBI and I were arch enemies from mid-1994 forward, and I knew nothing of how the Fabozzis ran their business anyway. They were a bit on the flamboyant side, and accepted credit cards through the big sting operation, but other than that I could only say that they were nice and Carmine was a wonderful chef.

This is the topic du jour as I just noticed that there have been searches on Joseph and Carmine Fabozzi in the last couple of days that resulted in clicks through this blog. If you know Joey, please do wish him well for me. I am not sure if any charge in his case can be overturned or not, as another involved 1995 case is in process of post conviction relief – the defendants were not charged correctly and should never have been charged at all in this stupid credit card sting. The issue with the Fabozzis' case is that each of them also had additional charges, other than the incorrectly charged credit card factoring sting mess. I can put him in contact with an attorney that would have an answer quickly, so if the blog reader knows Joey, please do put him in touch.

About Watch Lists

Since watch lists and "no fly" lists are back in the news I thought I'd tell my own short story.


I know that I was put on a list of one type or the other back in 2001, though I am not positive if it was before or after my arrest on organized crime charges. I was arrested on November 20, 2001. If I had to pinpoint a time, I'd estimate that I was placed on the radar in October of 2001. That is when the really strange things started happening in my life. The events of September 11, 2001 gave state and federal agents all sorts of power that they lacked prior to that day.

You sure wouldn't have wanted to be a passenger in a vehicle with me driving if I were getting pulled over. In both instances when I was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction in 2004, I was held for over 30 minutes with several officers with guns pulled ordering me to remain in my vehicle. In each case I was driving 5 mph over the speed limit at a late hour. I look like, and could be, a school teacher, and I also drove a relatively new car. So it wasn't me, but instead was what the officers saw when they ran my tag.

The one time since arrest that I have gone past the ticket counter/lobby area of an airport (OIA) was in late 2003. My son was 17, was flying to visit his father, and I was walking him to the gate. I was stopped and sent to the counter to get a gate pass. They almost didn't issue the pass, but I insisted as my son's father was near death and I had every right to walk my son to the gate.

Once in the checkpoint line, my son and I were directed to the side and into a special area for passengers that were "selected" for search. As a matter of fact, that is the term used by the TSA agent that directed us to the side: "You have been selected for search."

My breasts were literally fondled by a female TSA agent. Perhaps she thought that they were not real, but they are. I stood with my legs spread and my arms outstretched while she ran a wand of some type over every inch of me. All I had with me was my driver's license and my car keys – no purse and nothing in my pockets. Remember, I was only walking my son to the gate.

The only reason I have entered an airport since is to pick someone up or drop someone off, and I have never gone to the gate again. When I go to NY or to South Texas, I drive.

I would like to return to the EU some day, but I know that when I do I will not be allowed reentry into the US, regardless that I am a US citizen. I have been told that I am on the "selectee" list, and could indeed fly; however, should I exit the country, I would be placed on the "no fly" list prior to any intended return. Not that I want to return, but I do have an elderly mother and a son here.

You should have been a fly on the wall for the 5 months it took me to get my son's US passport renewed back in 2006, or at least for the last few weeks of the fight. Even the poor elderly woman at the US Post Office that processed and mailed the paperwork was stunned. Her job was far from over after she tossed it all in Priority mail. I only received the passport after fighting with a variety of people in the U.S. State Department for 2 weeks solid. I was relentless in my pursuit though, and indeed prevailed.

When I was originally put on a watch list there were less than 50K people on the lists. Today there are almost 1.5 million people that have joined me. Though I appreciate the company and the fact that being on these lists today is almost laughable, I will never forget a time when neither was the case. According to the TSA, the "selectee" list is still only around 50K, and if we are to believe the agency, then I am still almost alone.

Sacrificing Rights Again

Am I the only one not buying into this renewed terrorist threat crap and the new security crackdown that comes with it? I sure hope not.


Some Nigerian villain of the day manages to get on a flight, without a passport at that, carrying some concoction that can start a fire and make popping noises. He makes a claim that al-Qaeda directed him and suddenly he is the unsuccessful terrorist and the new example of how the gutting of rights in the U.S. is actually working.

One cannot even carry a decent size bottle of shampoo on a flight. Now what? No more carry-on luggage, Bic lighters, or house keys? Have they lost their minds entirely? Well, not half as much as the citizens in the news stating how acceptable it all is if they can keep us safe. Safe from what? A Nigerian that was most likely paid by a government operative or private contractor rep pushing for more security and even less rights than we have today. The description of the suspect's concoction that I have read says firecracker powder – yes, light that up and you will get popping noises and a fire will start. I'm sure.

According to an article on M Live, two attorneys witnessed the Nigerian, accompanied by a well-dressed man, speaking to an airline supervisor regarding the airline allowing him to board the flight without a passport. The next time that the attorneys saw the Nigerian was when the fire started on the flight.

Perhaps the airline should just stick with the requirement that a passenger have a passport when boarding a flight in Amsterdam to go to the U.S., don't you think? I thought that it was always a requirement and has been for many decades.

But no, because an airline let this man board without a passport we all must sacrifice to keep the world safe. Right. Can I interest you in some property out in the Everglades? The wildlife comes right up to the door – it's so exciting.


And yes, I know that this has nothing whatsoever to do with adult business, but someone had to say it.

Government Informants

In my all too skilled opinion, Paul Bergrin's so-called girlfriend and current co-defendant, Yolanda Jauregui, started working with the government long ago – when she was charged in the mortgage fraud case. The rest of it is all plotted by the government – from the hitman story to the drug trafficking racketeering case. Jauregui doesn't really face decades in prison at all, but then she is probably the only one that knows that except for the agents that planned it all. Her new attorney had best watch his back.

She is not a potential cooperator as she is being portrayed. She was already an informant and worked to save her own life by setting herself up as co-defendant with Paul Bergrin. Payback is hell, and people in high places felt that Bergrin deserved it for his zealous defense of a soldier in a War on Terror case.

The good news is that more than one person is aware of this plot. The hard part is getting just one participant to spill their guts. Bergrin must look at the entire picture objectively in order to figure out exactly when Jauregui started working for the government. From that moment forward it was all a part of a game.

Yolanda Jauregui did not start quietly cooperating. Mark my words. This case is a house of cards built entirely by agents and informants. It is all a show, complete with her crocodile tears and recent revoked bail.

Paul Bergrin had better step up to the plate and save his own life. He no longer has the luxury of being a naïve attorney. Government informants are indeed a dirty lot, capable of absolutely anything. Cases charged as a RICO conspiracy are anything but simple to fight – I know this from personal experience.

In my own case, the main informant (and alleged uncharged co-defendant Theresa Isaacs), when exposed for the dirty dog that she was while on the stand, actually cried her crocodile tears to a juror in the bathroom – with the planned intention of provoking a mistrial. The juror did the only thing that she could do and reported the encounter to the court officer and the judge. We had a hearing and I was offered a mistrial by the prosecution and the judge; however, I declined and requested that the trial continue. The rest is history.

Government prosecutors play dirty beyond imagination.

Blind Justice

I missed an attorney, at least one – of that I am sure – in Zealous Legal Representation. I was reading an article written by Stephen Lendman and entitled Targeting Lawyers: The Case of Paul Bergrin, when I realized the horrific injustice that Mr. Bergrin is living at the hands of informant clients. It is the main reason that I passed on law school. Scary stuff in this case, and more so than in any that I have ever heard of.

I first heard Bergrin's name in relation to Jason Itzler of NY Confidential fame. For those that are unaware, Itzler claimed the throne and was known in the news as the king of escort services when he was arrested in 2005. He pleaded guilty to money laundering and attempting to promote prostitution in June 2006. He also referred to himself as the "king of all pimps" if you can imagine. In my opinion it is easy to run services illegally and flagrantly, and I do not understand all of the attention these people get with book and movie offers when they're busted and plead guilty. I consider them a dime a dozen. It is much more complicated to avoid illegalities and take the state or the feds to trial if arrested. Especially if you win like I did.


Which method of operation requires the use of your brain?

Back to the topic at hand – Itzler was a convicted felon when he was arrested in the escort service mess, so he had a lot to lose. Bergrin should never have stepped beyond the basic attorney-client relationship. I do not believe that Paul Bergrin was guilty of much except filing the articles of incorporation for Itzler's corporation. This is something that attorneys do all of the time. Prosecutors also claimed that he had a fringe benefit of spending time with some of the escorts. Being friendly with the client is far from running and owning his business though. I do not buy into that case for a NY minute.

Somehow this all led to the recent superseding indictment that includes drug conspiracy charges and allegations of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking, murder of a witness in a drug case, and attempt to hire a hitman in another drug case. In relation to the last charge, the hitman is the informant. Can you say set-up? No, that hitman would never lie, right? In the other drug case Bergrin is alleged to have given the name of a confidential witness/informant to someone involved in the drug case that then had the informant murdered. Read the DOJ news release in PDF here.

Let me paint a different picture for you here:

This naïve attorney, that possibly had a weakness for loose women, was lured by Itzler and his hookers and merely filed corporation documents and had some fun. Somehow he ended-up defending someone in a drug trafficking case, which is not unusual when one is a criminal defense attorney, and was talked out of a name by someone else in the case. Now he is charged in a racketeering conspiracy as a result of these mistakes. These dirtbags are his co-defendants, and each and every one of them will plead to charges and testify against him. These co-defendants are the feds new witnesses. Oh – and there's a woman involved in the drug trafficking case.

Paul Bergrin picked a huge fight with the feds when he defended unpopular clients, just as Lynne Stewart did. Does anyone really wonder why I never went to law school?

What in the hell is going on with this case?

Telephones and Blocks

I just noticed a comment on my blog from an anonymous reader that is either a foot in mouth statement, or comes from one of the few aware.

Anonymous stated:


"Your making a big deal over phone blocks. You really don't know how it is done? Not as smart as you thought, are you."

Considering the fact that the telephone line blocks in area resorts that I described thoroughly in Memoirs of an Accused Madam and have discussed on this blog occasionally have been denied at the highest levels, I must consider that this poster hasn't a clue. From the moment that I sat down and addressed the issues with Sprint's head of security in Orlando back in 1993, until basically today, each and every person, with the exception of a few victims in Las Vegas, have taken my statements as an opening to play the "Vicky is crazy" card.

In Orlando in the past other escort service owners knew that it was going on, as our joint pursuit of the blockers is described in Memoirs. In Las Vegas the matter has been pursued in federal court cases since 1993, with a recent new case.

Does "Anonymous" think that I am referring to a simplified PBX block in which any guest just can't dial a "blocked" number? Or is it a reference to a call-blocking feature of every telephone (landline and wireless)?

I will not presume that the poster meant anything, and instead will wait and see if I am contacted.

What I find most interesting about the comment is the blocks that I have referred to since 1993 have been denied by all except a few victims. Most escort service owners in Orlando and Las Vegas cannot even comprehend that there is a puzzle. The problem was denied by the infamous and allegedly intelligent MBI, the Statewide Prosecutor's Office, telephone company security at Vista United Telephone in Disney (now Smart City), Sprint Telephone under its various new names, AT&T, the now defunct Bellsouth, and all but one reader of Memoirs, and he happens to be in a tech field.

So Mr. or Ms. Anonymous, please do come forward and put me in my place. There is one answer or missing piece to this ongoing and evolving puzzle that I am still missing. Prove your level of knowledge and I will ask the question. Answer the question and several of us will pool our funds and pay you.

In short time you can gain recognition as having surpassed even Kevin Mitnick in the area of telephone security. You could name your price with the telcos as it has been stated in a court of law that none of the top security officials comprehend the problem - they admit it is transpiring, but are otherwise clueless.

I am waiting. We are waiting.

Police Misconduct

If there is one major lesson that I have learned since Memoirs was published and I started my blog six months ago, it is that the general population does not like to hear about police and prosecutorial misconduct.

Start stating that the U.S. criminal justice system is one of the worst in the Western world, and they tend to disperse in droves. It is not that they are unaware of police misconduct being a problem or the U.S. criminal justice system being problem-filled, but it is more that most do not want to hear it. Sort of like the invasion in Iraq, as long as they do not have to hear about U.S. military personnel and contractors committing war crimes, it can all be buried in the back of the mind.

This reminds me of the three monkeys. I recall the three monkeys from my childhood – one had his eyes covered, one had his ears covered, and the last had his mouth covered. See no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil. Okay, much of the population in this country enjoys the game of pretending that something doesn't exist or that something is not a problem, perhaps believing that if it is ignored for long enough it will not exist or will go away. It never happened.

A recent reviewer of my book has followed me to two websites with his review, and has the same line of crap as the bad cops did during the case that wasn't a case. Now I get a retired or current cop with an agenda following my book. Nothing I can't handle – the cops in the case were far worse and did so much more than I revealed in the book. The book is police abuse light in comparison to all that they did to me.

Don't believe it?

Well, my proof comes in several forms. I do have documents that are no longer in the recreated court file, and one in particular paints a really nasty picture of the gang of thug agents with the MBI. It is the notarized sworn affidavit that was produced by Dusty during her forced testimony as a state witness. I also have every hearing and the entire two-week trial on CDs.

My best evidence though, is the fact that I did testify in my defense, and was drilled and screamed at by a very experienced prosecutor for most of the day. If I had lied, there is little doubt that they would have pursued perjury charges. I didn't lie at all about anything that I stated.

The final proof comes as a part of the dismissed civil suit that I filed in federal court. You are probably wondering how this could stand as proof, right? You are thinking – but Vicky, they dismissed the suit – and yes, they did, though there was never any denial of the allegations on the part of the parties that I sued. The argument of each party was an official capacity defense. They argued that the criminal acts described in my complaint were committed in the course of official investigation and were therefore excusable. They also argued that "while there was not enough evidence for a conviction, there was enough evidence for an arrest - in other words they had simply expected me to plead guilty!

I filed the suit against former Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary, former MBI director William Lutz, and the main case agent, Brant Rose, (retired care of the Florida taxpayers immediately following my trial).

For those in the dark here – when one files a civil rights action in federal court, one must state the complaint and swear to it under penalty of perjury.

My complaint was over 30 pages. You can read the complaint if you have a PACER account, and anyone can open a PACER account. That was the entire point of the suit – to create a record of what they did to me, as the files in state court were gutted – the first one stolen in its entirety (all 3 overstuffed volumes that were about each around 8 inches high), and the recreated file disappeared shortly after it was created by prosecutors using only documents from the Office of the Statewide Prosecutor. The clerk's office admitted in writing that many documents were missing from the recreated file anyway, rendering it worthless.

So in a sense it was mission accomplished for me. The complaint is recorded in federal court files and Vicky Gallas sure wasn't charged with perjury. The 11th Circuit has never been friendly to adult business complainants filing civil rights suits, so I don't feel too bad about it all. It is what I expected in our broken criminal justice system.

The only situation that is in the book but that was omitted from the federal complaint is the telephone line-blocks on escort service lines in Orlando area resorts. The particulars are described in Memoirs, so I will not repeat here. The reason that the line-block problem was not included is that I couldn't prove the connection to my arrest and trial, and this is stated clearly in the book. However, note that there either is a connection, or the MBI was unbelievably and incredibly stupid and had no clue as to what was going on in adult business in Orlando from the late 1980s when the blocks began through today.

It is your choice – incredibly dumb and an extravagant waste of local, state, and federal tax money OR connected to the line-block conspiracy that continues today. It is one or the other.


There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice.


Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (18 January 1689 – 10 February 1755)

Prostitution Empowers Women

One of the last courses that I took as a college senior in 2006 is entitled: Thinking about Race, Class, and Gender. This is a course that I would recommend every college student be required to take, regardless of major. As an older student that is female and owned escort services for an entire decade in Orlando so that I did not have to raise my child in poverty, I arrived with firsthand knowledge of much of the material taught. My earlier studies of racial disparities in all areas of the U.S. criminal justice system served to strengthen my arguments in all subject areas.


If an "A+" were possible, I would have received it, but did receive the highest grade possible anyway (A). Serious arguments ensued during the course on all topics. You would be shocked at how many white Americans consider African-Americans to truly have equal rights and receive equal treatment in this country in respect to employment and the criminal justice system. I had no clue that so many people, especially at the college senior level, were that ignorant. I always used facts and personal experience to back-up my arguments, and though I am white, I have seen and heard the inequalities and clearly understand the problems. I have also conducted extensive statistical research. There are two excellent books that I recommend for the unenlightened on the topic of race in the United States:

Race to Incarcerate, by Marc Mauer, Director of The Sentencing Project (2006 edition).

Thinking About Race, by Naomi Zack (2005 edition).

The last several weeks of the course concerned gender studies. Because of my background in the escort business, this resulted in a deep discussion with the professor relating to the real effects of prostitution on women. I concluded the course with a research paper on the topic of prostitution as a tool of empowerment for women. Contrary to popular opinion in the U.S, most women that work as call girls are empowered by the experience and are in total control during any client encounters. A woman that cannot control all that she does as an escort, a call girl, or a prostitute, does not belong in the business and should search for a new occupation. The only coercion involved is economic in nature.

The professor that taught the course advised me to consider a master's program and to continue with my research on prostitution empowering women. It's not like it hasn't been done before, but I do have a certain personal insight that few could claim.

A recent candid discussion with Dr. Brooke Magnanti, Ph.D. and the UK's Times Online certainly reinforced all that I have stated. Brooke revealed that she is Belle de Jour, the former call girl that blogged anonymously while in graduate school. Brooke wrote an enlightening book:

Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl, by Anonymous (2006 edition).

The women that worked with my agencies over the years were all 28+ and as with Dr. Magnanti, each was driven to the adult industry by a need for money. The great majority had strong personalities and were in complete control of what they did or did not do during a call, and the few meek, mild mannered escorts that I encountered over the years did not stay in the business for long. Most of the meek, and actually all that I have kept track of, moved on to marriage. That should tell you something.

Zealous Legal Representation

There is one primary reason that I decided to pass on law school: Zealous legal representation is hardly possible in the U.S. today due to the state of our criminal justice system. Defense attorneys that step outside of the strict bar association boundaries when defending a client are often penalized with suspension and are on occasion disbarred. There is little doubt in my mind that within one year of passing the bar exam I would have had my license to practice law suspended. Disbarment would follow in short time.


A secondary reason in passing on law school is that the great majority of clients in criminal prosecutions succumb to the plea bargain, and many become informants for the state or federal government; for me that would be a nightmare. An attorney cannot really advise a client not to be an informant or to accept a plea bargain. The attorney is more often limited by prosecutor and bar association restrictions to state the offer that is on the table and list available options. The innocence or guilt of the defendant is usually immaterial. Law is all about weighing the options.

I have known several attorneys that have had their license to practice suspended for no real reason. In each case the only crime committed by the attorney was fervent representation of the client. Do we really need to wonder why many attorneys just push paper and arrange deals with little emotion? Perhaps the need to earn a living enters into the picture, or to prevent their own prison sentence.

As I imagined myself surrounded by clients turned informant, I opted for graduate studies in history. I have been told that I made a wrong choice, though to this day I must still disagree. These days attorneys have little choice except to promote the plea deals offered, and I could never see myself as such a coordinator.

You may be curious as to what this has to do with any aspect of adult business, but the answer is simple: Close to all adult business prosecutions, and any other prosecutions, result in plea deals and there never is a trial. The feds boast that 95% of criminal defendants in federal court plead guilty. The percentage of guilty pleas in state courts varies by state and is slightly less than the federal rate, but it doesn't trail far behind.

Does this mean that close to all arrests are valid and righteous? Not by a long-shot. It means that attorneys state the options and defendants weigh them and make a decision. The U.S. has one of the most fundamentally flawed criminal justice systems in the world. Justice is indeed blind in these United States.


The Lynne Stewart Saga

Disbarred attorney Lynne Stewart's bail was revoked this past week as Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors demanded that she begin serving her 28-month sentence after the ruling was made on her appeal. What was her crime? She zealously defended a very unpopular client during the Bush/Ashcroft era of terror. Lynne Stewart was convicted by a jury in a show trial that rivaled those held by Stalin in the former Soviet Union. Lynne Stewart was betrayed by the system that she dedicated 30 years of her life to and mistakenly held in high esteem. To add insult to injury, the federal appeals court ordered the district court judge to re-sentence her, and the DOJ wants 30 years.

Just never ask me why I didn't go to law school.

Vendettas and Conspiracies

I cannot say too much about the importance of understanding that the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) today bares little resemblance to the MBI pre-December 2008. The serious difference is that former director William Lutz retired in December 2008. The new director is former Brevard County Sheriff Phil Williams. I did address this topic in The New MBI back in September; however, this take on the subject is from a different perspective.


The MBI under Director Lutz was capable of just about anything. I have already discussed many of the agency's transgressions over the years in: Informants that Reappear; Reform and Rehabilitation; Bullies and Con Artists; After Arrest: A Story; The Bingo Racketeering Case; The Yellow Pages Fiasco; and of course in my book, Memoirs of an Accused Madam: The War on Adult Business in Orlando. I will not be rehashing this criminal misconduct here.

The MBI of today, under Director Phil Williams, is indeed a reformed agency. I have little doubt that the agency would pursue only real cases. The criminal acts of past are exactly that – in the past. To this day the agency has not changed its website since November 2008, when the announcement appeared concerning Lutz's retirement. I can only imagine that the Governing Board cannot admit that there was anything incorrect and illegal done in past; no doubt due to civil liabilities.

This brings me to the currents events that prompted this post. Ezell Harris was arrested on drug charges by the MBI a week ago. Harris bonded out on what I believe was a $100,000 bond, but was arrested again late this afternoon on seven additional charges and now sits in the Orange County, Florida jail on a $1.4 million bond. Ezell Harris was an Orlando City Council candidate in what promised to be a very heated election.

When released following his initial arrest, Harris had the audacity to state to news reporters that it was a conspiracy and a political vendetta and that the MBI had planted the drugs. That didn't fly with me because this is a new MBI and Phil Williams stated publicly that the MBI has controlled buys in the case. My only response on Orlando Sentinel forums was that it would all be revealed in the discovery process if Harris chose to plead not guilty.

I am incensed that Ezell Harris used the knowledge of the agency's past as a platform to scream abuse and assert that drugs were planted in his home. The agency has used seriously questionable and even criminal, confidential informants in past, but the bottom line is that a controlled buy set-up is not possible if he was not selling drugs or did not go out and find drugs for the confidential informant. If he doesn't make a deal as most do, the truth will be revealed in court documents.

False assertions today serve to minimize the true misdeeds of this agency in past, and I, as a true victim of criminal police misconduct and a very real vendetta, resent the hell out of it.

Prostitution Debates

In every discussion or debate that concerns prostitution arrests, the majority never fails to state that it should be legalized and there should be a set-up similar to the brothels in Nevada. The opposition always chimes in with reasoning on why prostitution is not a victimless crime. Nothing ever changes and the debate is always the same.


Those that advocate the Nevada solution actually have little understanding of how it works when all control is in the hands of the state and a handful of brothel owners. Few ever consider that prostitutes do not want to live in a brothel and split their earnings with the business. The only part of the Nevada set-up that is beneficial to all is the required license and medical check-up on a regular basis.

Did you know that each time the prostitute leaves the brothel and is not on schedule that she must have a new medical check-up before she can return to work? That is a fact. She must stay in that brothel the entire time that she is there, or if going to town to shop for necessities it must be with an employee from the brothel. The brothels didn't allow cell phones in past years; however, I believe that this has changed today. The brothels also hold the prostitute's money until her scheduled stay is over and she is leaving, and often there are disputes in relation to the money. Most brothels take 50% of everything – including any tips or extras.

The prostitute that works in a Nevada brothel is completely controlled by the brothel. This method of operation benefits the state and the brothel owner. It does not benefit the prostitute or the client. Why do so many advocates of legalization want to subject women to this scheme of complete control? Even worse, they think that they are speaking for the women when throwing out these solutions in discussion.

Legalization should include freedom to choose. Let the prostitute have the required medical check and apply for a license and work wherever she wants to work. She could work entirely for herself or place the marketing and booking in the hands of an agency, or work in that brothel. Why are the majority of advocates of legalization so quick to hand over control to the state and a few business owners?

In so far as prostitution not being a victimless crime is concerned the argument is often pure crap.

Half the time the claim is that the client's wife and family are the victims, but this reasoning doesn't hold water. The client that sees a prostitute is saving his marriage more often than not. There are women everywhere – we are half of the general population – so that client could always get involved in an affair or sleep with someone he meets in a club or online. The risk to the marriage is far less when he hires a prostitute that has no real interest in him and simply wants to collect her fee for services. Think about it.

The other half of the victim claims relate to the prostitute being the victim. In all of the years that I was in the escort business I can confidently assert that no escort ever had to commit prostitution. I never encountered anyone forced into a life of prostitution, but then I did choose to work with escorts that were 28+ in age. When a woman commits prostitution it is usually because she needs and/or wants the money. It is all about the money.

Sure, we are all victims of our social and financial circumstances, but that is not what this crowd is referring to when claiming that the prostitute is the victim. Usually they are referring to all agency owners as pimps and users of women. Actually many of the escorts that worked for my agencies over the years victimized me, and not the opposite.

The escorts that committed prostitution most often did so for more money. I sure didn't keep any part of their tips, as the brothels in Nevada do. I also sure didn't control their phone calls or living arrangements, as the brothels in Nevada do. The great majority of escorts passed out their telephone number to clients and many opened their own escort services. Most stayed extra hours with clients, collected the entire amount, and eliminated paying the agency fee by claiming that they had to call off for one reason or another.

Those that committed prostitution also did so at the expense of the agency owner – they risked a minor misdemeanor and made large sums of money, but they put the agency owner at risk of being charged with serious felonies and the agency owner received none of that large sum of money.

So why does the general population think so much less of escort service owners than they do of prostitutes or of brothels in Nevada? Why do escort service owners face felony prosecutions that could imprison them for life? Think about it.

Who Needs Juries

I made the decision long ago that I couldn't take most comments about my former businesses too seriously, but sometimes the person making the statement just manages to push my buttons. In general people, in the U.S. anyway, tend to believe that all escort services are dens of prostitution because this has been ingrained in their minds. Either that or all the other escort service owners that have been arrested on organized crime charges deserved this, and the allegations were provable and accurate.

Why is it so hard to understand that a jury found me not guilty because I was not guilty?


What in the hell allows a person to believe that they know more than a jury that listened to a case for 2 flipping weeks? The person reads a 100 word statement from the MBI or knows an agent and suddenly they have developed insight that the entire jury lacked. They know more than all of us.

Of course they assume that I'm a liar at the same time. Never mind that I testified in my defense and was drilled and screamed at by a very experienced prosecutor for the better part of an entire day – never mind all that – it is assumed that I'm a liar. I have been called a liar by people that never read my book and know nothing about my case. I've been called a liar by people that have read my book and called it unbelievable. None of these people ever actually attempted to have any real conversation with me or ask me about any specific statement or situation. Each simply assumed and stated that I was a liar.

Why would my civil suit filed in federal court be dropped if I'm not a liar? Well, I'll toss that one back at you: Why wouldn't I be charged with perjury for submitting sworn affidavits in the civil case or for my statements made under oath in trial if I were lying? I'll top that: If all that I've stated in my Memoirs of an Accused Madam were not true, don't you think that they would have filed suit and stopped me from selling the book?

The truth is that the MBI did much more than I included in the book – I only included what I could prove or stated that I was not positive about an incident that I wrote about. Every sentence in that book that is stated as fact is indeed provable. I'm the one with all of the hearings and the entire trial on CDs – I beat them to the court reporters office and placed my order while they were still attempting recovery. So that's great that they stole the files, but I still have the evidence.

As to the dismissal of my civil suit, the parties that I named in the suit didn't even deny my charges. They simply claimed that they couldn't be sued for their actions and there was in fact some probable cause for arrest. Sure, when an agent and his informant conspire and make an allegation it is probable cause for arrest, but not enough for conviction. Probable cause is a thin line when it comes to RICO charges, but there was not enough probable cause to get a warrant for a wiretap or a search warrant. What does that tell you?

I do try not to take the assertion that I am a liar personally; however, it is very personal and that's not an easy request. Just stop assuming that you know more than a jury that heard it all for two solid weeks and we can at least pretend to respect each other. As usual, in the U.S. a defendant is already convicted by the general population when arrested. Guilty, even when proven not guilty; that is the U.S. criminal injustice system.

What do we bother with the jury system in the US for? Why not just convict everyone that the police arrest and prosecutors indict? That way you can go straight to the punishment phase, as after all, cops and prosecutors never lie, right?

Choosing an Attorney

In an adult business criminal prosecution, choosing the right attorney is very important. I am, of course, referring to felony cases and not the misdemeanor stuff. The specific attorney that you hire may depend on the type of prosecution – organized crime and RICO or the simpler type of case, such as promoting prostitution.

The first step is to have the arrest or indictment information assessed by any good criminal attorney, so do not empty your bank account to pay the first attorney that you speak with, or even your longtime attorney. Once you have an idea of the evidence the case is based on, you can make the initial decision as to how you intend to approach it.


If the attorney that reviews the evidence that is presented by prosecutors in early discovery informs you that they've got you cold and the evidence is beyond reproach, then you know that you must choose an attorney that is able to make the best deal for you. On the other hand, if the evidence presented early-on is questionable, you can assume that prosecutors are not holding back the best evidence and what you see is most likely the best hand they've got. As you can see, the second step is entirely dependent on the initial assessment.

Most people have a general idea of how they intend to proceed by the time the first discovery is handed over by prosecutors. To take this a step further, I will go out on a limb here and assume that you know what you've done or haven't done and how you have operated your adult business. You should know if you are guilty as charged, or not.

If you are seeking the best deal possible:

Look for the most known and popular attorney as it is unlikely that this attorney will accept the negative publicity of getting a lousy deal for you, the client. This attorney will argue for you over lunch at the golf club or on just about any other forum. Watch out for attorneys with political aspirations though, or you could end-up on the bad end of a trade – the I'll give you this one if you give me that one type of trade.

If you intend to fight till the end:

If it is a racketeering/organized crime case, the attorney that you choose does not necessarily need to have experience in this area. Sometimes you are better off finding a strong attorney, perhaps a recent law school graduate, that prosecutors will never see coming. Have you ever seen The Devil's Advocate? It is an Al Pacino movie – rent it and watch it for a better understanding. You do want an attorney with some trial experience though, as some people just freeze when talking in a courtroom; this would result in a serious problem for you.

The attorney that you choose must have the time to deal with your case. Most often an organized crime case requires extensive attention. The attorney must also actually listen to you – this is your life and you cannot hand it over to any attorney and just hope for the best. You must play a serious part in the fight for your life, and if you don't, then you'll understand when you lose. Don't dare blame it all on the attorney.

I will always recommend my attorney, and his law offices, from my own criminal case first in any possible list of recommendations; however, I am not so sure that Steve is interested in taking on such a case (organized crime) ever again. I believe that his specialty at this point in life is all other areas of criminal law and DUI trials. Steve has won over 95% of his DUI jury trials over the last five years. Harley has special expertise in the area of police misconduct.

The law office of Stephen Wolverton and Harley Gutin is in Brevard County, Florida, although I will imagine that representation outside of Brevard County is certainly possible. If you are in Florida and need an attorney, this office truly offers aggressive representation; trust me on that. Steve saved my life – and he has no clue that I'm writing this.

Here is a list of attorneys that specialize in the representation of adult business defendants and the contact information for each. I am listing these particular attorneys as I am aware of the record of each in the area of adult business. If an attorney is not listed it is only because I am not aware of them, and not because they are less qualified in any way. I also may be forgetting someone and will add their name later:


Stephen Wolverton, Harley Gutin, Gutin & Wolverton – Cocoa, Florida – (321)633-7337

Steven G. Mason – Orlando, Florida – (407)895-6767

Lawrence G. Walters, Weston, Garrou, Walters & Mooney – Altamonte Springs, Florida – (407)975-9150


J.D. Obenberger & Associates – Chicago, Illinois – (312)558-6420

Stephen L. Laiche, Griff, Larson, Laiche, Brennan & Wright – Grand Junction, Colorado – (970)245-8021


Jeremy Saland, Crotty & Saland – New York, New York – (212)312-7129

Mark Nejame, Nejame, LaFay, Jancha, Ahmed, Barker & Joshi – Orlando, Florida – (407)245-1232


Greg Eisenmenger, Eisenmenger, Berry & Peters – Rockledge, Florida – (321)504-0321

Free Speech Victory

I never saw this announced on any news forum, but on October 20th Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart's suit against Craigslist was tossed out in federal court. You remember the suit – the sheriff publicized it well and then South Carolina AG joined in with his own legal threats. I am only aware of the outcome as it was included in my Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) EFFector List news.


Matt Zimmerman wrote:

On Tuesday, the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois agreed with craigslist, throwing out Dart's complaint in its entirety, confirming that Section 230 immunized craigslist from the allegation that it constituted a "public nuisance." The court made a number of important observations regarding the attempt to saddle craigslist with responsibility for the behavior of its users.

The main points in the decision:

The phrase "adult," even in conjunction with "services," is not unlawful in and of itself nor does it necessarily call for unlawful content. ... The same is true of subcategories. Plaintiff is simply wrong when he insists that these terms are all synonyms for illegal sexual services.


Intermediaries are not culpable for "aiding and abetting" their customers who misuse their service to commit unlawful acts.

Read the court opinion here: Dart v. Craigslist Opinion

Let this be a lesson learned for the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) in Orlando, and for every publisher (print and internet) that the agency managed to threaten into submission. If you have no clue as to what I'm stating, simply click on the "Public Records" link and read every thinly veiled threat the agency made to Craigslist and the final agreement with Orlando area publisher, the Orlando Weekly. Read The Yellow Pages Fiasco to learn more about this agency's longstanding attack on publishers in the Orlando area.

Each publisher should have stood their ground for free speech and stated the same thing to the bully agency that I have since 1994: See you in court!

Now that is a real victory! 

Censored on Craigslist

This is only a quick intermission from the attorney stuff. I'll get back there soon.

Craigslist is set-up to be run by the community, and that community of your peers can easily flag your free classified ad down in no time flat. I have posted ads for my book, Memoirs of an Accused Madam: The War on Adult Business in Orlando, on the Orlando Craigslist on several occasions and each posting was removed so quickly that I never did get to view it live, though my account still showed the post as being live. It is a toss-up as to whether Craigslist never posted it to begin with or the so-called community of my peers flagged it down in lightening speed. It was gone before it was there.

If this is the fault of Craigslist, then shame on them. I have referred to Jim Buckmaster and this online classified website only in the best light in my book and in posts on this blog. I am well aware of what the MBI attempted to do to him. I always felt that Buckmaster was singled-out in the world of online advertising, and undeservingly so. If this is a community flagging problem, well these people are quick as the ad was not visible 30 minutes after it was posted. Unless the community of my peers is a gang of vengeful MBI agents this is not understandable. I envision 20 agents receiving an alert to flag the ad ASAP.

If it is really the community in Orlando doing this flagging, then what type of community is this? Are these flaggers people that despise books and enjoy censoring any writer that they are in disagreement with? For crying out loud – it is a damn book, and a factual book at that. Every page of it is non-fiction. Is this the same crowd that wants to clean-up the libraries, remove any controversial books, and send them to the bonfire?

Scary stuff.

Explicit prostitution ads last much longer than my book ad ever did. What does this reveal about the Orlando community or what is acceptable within the community? I will leave that to your imagination.

All the more reason to read my book.

Hiring an Attorney

If you've made the decision to start-up an escort service, when do you need an attorney, if at all?


Simple answer here: You should find a criminal attorney that you are comfortable with before you answer the first telephone call for your new business. I waited until I made the money from the escort business to cover the cost, and there's not any problem with doing it this way. I seriously doubt that you could be on any police agency's radar in the first month of business. You can always correct any legal issue or mistake in your business set-up at this point.

Be prepared to pay for an initial consultation. You would want about an hour of the attorney's time, so expect to spend between $150 and $400 for that consultation. Don't try to be cheap and get it free or for $50 as this will most likely be the attorney that you speak with for the duration of your business if you have a question, a problem that doesn't involve your arrest on charges relating to your business, or just need some solid advice concerning the legally correct way to go about a specific task.

You do want to avoid ever being charged with anything in relation to your escort service, and trust me; this is the way to do so. Here and there you will spend a few hundred dollars, but this shouldn't have much of an effect on your bottom line at all. You don't need the top attorney in town – you simply need an attorney that specializes in criminal law. There are plenty of recent law school graduates walking around that have just passed the bar exam and are eager to offer advice.

I met with an attorney shortly after opening my escort services back in 1992, we had a lengthy relationship, and one in which I could contact him anytime that I had a problem or a question about a situation that could lead to a problem. I just found him in the area yellow pages under the "attorneys – criminal" category. He never gave me bad advice – my arrest had nothing whatsoever to do with anything that I did. His name is John and today he is a circuit court judge, so I won't offer his last name.

Shortly after my arrest in late 2001, we parted ways as I chose to represent myself with the goal of locating an attorney that could take-on a complicated and voluminous organized crime case. John had political aspirations, which made him a lousy candidate to represent me in the criminal case that I faced. I do respect John, so I also won't go into the specifics involved in our parting.

If you are ever arrested in relation to your escort business you will require a different attorney as it's unlikely that the original attorney you chose for occasional advice meets the necessary criteria. How you choose an attorney to represent you in such a criminal case is entirely dependent on the charges and your knowledge of your level of guilt. Realize that you can always have your longtime attorney represent you at first and look at the original indictment or arrest paperwork. An assessment of your chances could then be offered from a legal perspective. Just hold off on paying that attorney any more than an hourly rate at that point.

Next: Choosing an attorney to represent you in an escort business criminal case.