MBI Back in Orlando News

We all knew it couldn't be too long before the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation was back in the news for one screw-up or another. I just watched the MBI Director, Phil Williams, on WFTV Orlando defending the agent that groped a woman's breast in one of those sex investigations at a massage parlor back in September 2009. I do feel for Williams as he has an impossible task in central Florida: defending the MBI.


Most residents in the Orlando area are all too aware of the many years of misconduct of agents with the MBI, so Williams has no easy job. He is a latecomer to the MBI debacle, taking over when longtime director William Lutz retired in December of 2008. Williams doesn't deserve to be attacked – let's go dig-up Lutz instead. The agent's name didn't ring a bell with me (James Edmundson), but I certainly am curious if he is a Lutz hire, and even around during my own case. Groping breasts was not unusual back then, in my case or the Rachel's Men's Club case.

The case in question today involves a massage parlor named Natural Therapies. The ladies charged by the MBI are Xueyan Zhou – case # 2009-MM-011904-A and Li Cheng – case # 2009-MM-011908-A. Each was charged only with two second degree misdemeanors, so at least the MBI didn't pursue them on racketeering charges as was often the situation in past. Still, I would like to see all charges dropped and the MBI's sex mission abandoned.


A Story about a breast-groping MBI agent:

When I first spoke with Michelle in 2000 she told me of her recent experience with the MBI only because I asked if she had ever been arrested. She was not arrested on any prostitution or related charge, but was arrested for "failure to obtain an occupational license" by the MBI at a downtown Orlando Marriott. Michelle was seeking work, but also needed to know where to get an occupational license. I informed her of the necessary paperwork and listened to the story. By the way – Michelle and her husband John were swingers and he had no issue with her working as an escort, so I met them both. She was 30 years, or close to, at the time, and John was in his early forties. Her arrest happened during the short period of time she worked for a $400 per hour agency out of Miami: Miami Companions. To my knowledge MBI never went after that agency at all, though they arrested several escorts on their calls. As stated many times – I was special.

According to Michelle, the agent lifted her sweater up over her head to remove it and fondled her breasts for a solid minute while doing it. Michelle and John were from L.A. and considered this normal police behavior. After the first agent removed her sweater and fondled her breasts, other agents suddenly appeared from the adjoining room. All that Michelle knew was that after quiet discussion among the agents she was charged only with the license violation. Of course I have the name of the grabbing agent, but won't state it here. He was Michelle's arresting officer and she showed me the arrest report.

Oddly enough, the MBI and prosecutors threatened to call Michelle and John as witnesses for the state in my racketeering trial. My response was that this was a great idea – find them in L.A. and fly them back. They knew Michelle later worked for my agency as a photo of her was on my website. I look forward to seeing them both again. Of course the state never followed through on this. I will imagine that someone with the MBI informed the prosecutor that it wasn't a great idea at all. They had simply been listing anyone they could find that had ever met me or spoke to me, figuring I would fear it. Laughing out loud here…

Okay, I won't jump on the bandwagon and rag on MBI on this one, but I had to tell my little story. And then of course there was Dusty's Sworn Statement.