It seems that there is an additional messy massage parlor case, and right in my backyard. The arrests took place back in December 2008, and a guilty plea to "Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering (RICO)" was secured on the main target and owner, Mirta Okonski, a fleeting two months later. In February 2009, Okonski agreed to a plea deal that included no time in prison and requires her to help prosecutors secure convictions against her co-conspirators. This plea deal was made in record time!
The investigation was appropriately named Operation Unhappy Ending, and it was conducted by the Indian River County Sheriff's Office (IRCSO). According to records, Okonski was a licensed massage therapist in Florida and owned several parlors from Daytona Beach to Boynton Beach in South Florida. It was neighboring businesses at the Vero Beach parlor in Indian River County that initiated complaints. Those complaints were the beginning of six-months of surveillance that included video-taping clients entering and leaving the business, and of course included vehicles and tag numbers. In short, IRCSO had the goods on Mirta, necessitating a plea. One important note here is that Okonski was born in 1946, didn't exactly age well according to booking photos, and is also alleged to have had sex for money with at least one client. Indeed, this is revealing of the mentality of men that visit these places. You'd have to see the booking photos of all these women to get my point, but I won't be posting them here. Kudos to the IRCSO for not mentioning human trafficking.
Okonski had a bond of $500K and her accounts were frozen as prosecutors considered seizing her money and property. Apparently they decided against this strategy as she managed to pay the bond within a few days. Others arrested at the same time included: Jennifer Alzate, 43; Pamela Arnold, 59; Joaquin Desousa, 50; Elsy Flores, 43; Rita McCahera, 40; and Marisol Romero, 43. All of the women were arrested on the "racketeering" count and had additional charges as well. Desousa is Okonski's ex-husband and participated only in collecting and depositing money from the Daytona Beach parlor.
McCahera is threatening every news outlet on the internet that posted stories with her name included, but Rita McCahera should realize that in Florida an arrest is a matter of public record, even if charges are dismissed, nolle prossed, or if a jury finds a defendant not guilty. While I sympathize with her, I also see that her threats were premature: She pled guilty to "living off the earnings of prostitution" and "practicing healthcare without a license" – in Florida massage licenses are considered healthcare and are regulated by the State. For all of the threats, screaming, and references to God being her witness that she's not guilty and would never plead guilty, Rita pled out and was sentenced to 5 years of felony probation on 03/19/2009. Ironically, she was STILL SCREAMING THREATS on March 31, 2009, on a Topix message board.
I have a variety of thoughts on this story, but first and foremost, I must state that I don't feel sorry for Rita after all. A jury found me not guilty, I never pled to anything and have never been convicted of anything except a speeding ticket, yet lawsuits are not really an option, and state and federal records reflect my arrest charges and not my acquittal. Oh, and they almost killed me. Rita, if you're not guilty you should not have pleaded guilty – suing them is no longer an option – I don't care what your attorney claims.
Today Okonski is back in jail on a "violation of community control" charge. She did receive a sentence of 10 years of felony probation in exchange for her help and testimony, and as she sits in the Indian River County Jail, I can only imagine that she now realizes that this was no free pass. In Florida a lengthy felony probation sentence will often involve incarceration for the dealmaker at one point or many. If I had ever considered a deal in my own case, probation would not have been involved. Prosecutors knew this and offered deals structured around everything except probation.
Also important is the fact that investigators with the Indian River County Sheriff's Office and state prosecutors went after each and every potential defendant in this case. Yes, even the many clients of the massage parlors. The clients that patronized these businesses were not given a hotline number and a free pass as those involved in the Nan O'Reilly case in Colorado are today – the men were located (via the video recordings) and charged with "solicitation of prostitution" and sentenced to fines, probation and the requirement to undergo an HIV test. There is equal and fair treatment under the law in Florida after all – at least in Indian River County courts. While I disagree with these types of prosecutions entirely, credit must be given when and where it is due. And so I learn that Phoenix investigators and prosecutors are not alone in the quest for equal and fair treatment of all potential defendants as I originally believed when writing Desert Divas Investigation.
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