Anna Gristina's Extended Stay in Rikers

On June 12, 2012, an appeals panel in NY reduced Anna Gristina's bond from the original $2million bond or $1million cash set by prosecutors and their judge to $250K bond or $125K cash. Today is June 26^th – two full weeks after the bond was reduced – and Anna is still sitting in her extended stay horror in Rikers Island.

The woman has now been waiting over 4 months for someone to bail her out of jail on a D felony charge of “promoting prostitution”. Does Anna Gristina have any family? Yes, I know that her husband is busy making the talk show rounds and emailing her former clients looking for money, but he does earn a living in real estate, right?

Surely a person that has made a great living in real estate for years (according to him on Anderson Cooper) has some property somewhere? He sure dresses for success as does everyone else in the family that I have watched on tv. And who in the hell rents a $9million farm in upstate New York for years with no income? How exactly does a person do that?

And what of Anna Gristina's actual family, other than the busy husband? She has adult children and there must be some relatives and the in-laws that are cops. Not a single person can manage a secured bond of $250K? No one in Anna Gristina's immediate or extended family owns any property to secure such a bond? Are these people all on food stamps and the entire case is a sham? Clearly I do not care for the prosecutors or their judge, Juan Merchan, but I seriously doubt they created this case out of thin air.

Well, I literally have nothing or I would secure the damn bond so that Gristina could get out of jail. I didn't realize how bad off I was until I recently tried to gather some money and get a vehicle. Anna Gristina has a wonderful, kind gentleman that is also an attorney offering to post bond for her. Peter Gleason has tried too many times to be her knight in shining armor. So what if he wanted to share the media spotlight? Beats the hell out of Kevin Gorr taking it on talk show after talk show while she wastes away in Rikers.

In my opinion, Anna needs to wake-up and smell the coffee when she is finally released from jail. The former clients feel that they've already spent plenty, no doubt, and who could blame them. Her husband's alleged real estate career is about as worthless as my book writing career and if she has any other family, she should consider ditching all of them permanently.

True gentlemen are few and far between these days. There is only one in this story and his name is Peter Gleason.

And that's my viewpoint...

EDIT @5:45pm EST: According to an article published today at 5:17pm, someone finally stepped-up to the plate this afternoon. The article:

Bail Package Approved for Alleged Upper East Side Madam Anna Gristina

Happy to hear that someone decided to come through for this woman this afternoon. My viewpoint on the rest of it remains the same.

Classy DC Case: Photoshop Lady to Change Plea

I took a trip to PACER this evening and was truly disappointed to find this order referencing Jennifer Churchill, the photoshop lady, having a hearing on 15 June 2012 to change her plea in the Classy DC Escorts case. The order is all about covering travel expenses for Churchill from California to Alexandria, Virginia and is linked below, at the conclusion.

So now every defendant has pleaded guilty in this case. The Classy DC Escorts case is over and you can all return to whatever you were doing before it began. The truth is that an average of 95% of all federal prosecutions are resolved with plea deals. Most of the remaining 5% lose in trial. Deborah Jeanne Palfrey was one of the few defendants not to plead in an escort business case. I am one of the few defendants to not plead in a state prosecution for the same counts (racketeering and conspiracy). She is dead and I am nowhere. To the rest of you, it's just a sideshow.

I read every document in reference to Jennifer Churchill and what she allegedly did. So did you, if you went to the Updates (Documents) page of my website as this case progressed. Many documents have now been removed and only plea related docs remain. I know that all she did was edit images for this outfit. What on earth would possess her to plead guilty to any charge whatsoever?

Sometimes in life making a point is the only correct way, but apparently Churchill couldn't deal with it. Now the government prosecutors know they will be able to bully other defendants charged with editing photos (how absurd) of confessed prostitutes into guilty pleas. Website designers and photoshop businesses everywhere need to take notice. What a truly sad system this is. Indeed one of the worst in the Western world and in much of the rest of the world.

This is the last major escort business prosecution that I intend to blog about. They all plead guilty in the end and it just isn't worth my time or the money I paid for documents. I intend to focus more on injustice in other types of case and am currently awaiting some sort of news on Paul Bergrin's status and next case. Now Paul Bergrin has the guts to fight them in his various created cases to the very end. Check back in the future for more information.

Order referencing Jennifer Churchill's Change of Plea

Classy DC Escorts Case: Almost Over

There were new developments in the Classy DC Escorts / DMV Indies case this past week. The game of musical chairs is almost over as on 15 May Nassim Tabatabai's plea agreement was filed and on 16 May Kuraye Akuiyibo's plea agreement was filed. The only two defendants remaining in this case are Otasowie Asuen from DMV Indies and Jennifer Churchill, the poor woman that did photoshop type work for this outfit.

I have added new documents, including both new plea agreements, to the Updates (Documents) page of my website.

So, it looks like Christopher (Otasowie Asuen) will be the one without a chair in this game of musical chairs. Meanwhile, Akuiyibo and Tabatabai will be filling-in the agents and prosecutors on anything and everything they know related and unrelated to the business they operated in what is referred to as a "debriefing".

Good Grief. What the website design and photoshop world should be interested in here is what specifically the government is accusing Jennifer Churchill of doing. It is not a question for me as I read the indictment and all of the documents filed on Churchill and all I see is that she "altered images" and "included a watermark on the images" for Akuiyibo. If you, the reader, see something different, please do alert the rest of us.

This should be major news, but it seems to be buried in the case. What sort of prosecution is viable or valid for someone that does photoshop work for a business? Come on - if you read the indictment, then you are aware of the small amount of money Jennifer Churchill made for her photo work. If the government can pursue prosecuting someone that does photoshop work, well, its agents and prosecutors are capable of anything, literally.

What country is this? Land of the free? Not.

The Anna Gristina Case: What is Going on With Manhattan DA?

Anna Gristina still sits in Rikers with a $2million bail. This bail is exorbitant for any crime short of murder and only happens in Manhattan with escort service owners. I have never heard of such an excessive bail in escort business cases anywhere else in the US or the world for that matter. Charles Linehan, the Manhattan Assistant District Attorney (ADA) on the Gristina case, and Justice Charles Solomon are either sadistic pigs or religious to extremes. We cannot excuse Justice Juan Merchan that set the excessive bond to begin with and also continues to deny relief.

My personal bet is on sadistic as none of the above named seem to be the religious type to me.

Or is this polictical?

Is Anna Gristina being victimized for a political agenda? I do not have an answer to the question as I admit to little to zero knowledge of New York State politics. I do know that high bail demands for escort service operators is not necessarily unusual for the Manhattan DA's Office. We must only look to the situation that Kristin Davis found herself in with an excessive bond to know that. It does seem that women are the targets for much higher bails.

Look at the New York High Class Escorts indictment and arrests for a moment. Though several defendants remain in Rikers awaiting trial, the main defendant in the case, Mikhail Yampolsky, has a $150,000 bond set; he just can't post it. His son, Alexander Yampolsky, has a $75,000 bond, but also is unable to post it. This case involves drug charges also and a really long list of Class B and Class D felonies.

Another case with multiple felonies charged recently is that of career criminal Jason Itzler. He had a $500,000 bond originally which was reduced to $200,000 by the judge. He has no bond at all right now, as far as I am aware, as Itzler did plead guilty on April 16, 2012. This guy has a lengthy record though and the list of B, D, and E felonies that he was charged with are all covered by his plea agreement. This career criminal is also an informant and we should wonder what he has to do with the Anna Gristina case, because I guarantee there is a connection.

Without attempting to analyze the Gristina case here, it is clear that the bond is excessive. A bond is supposed to be set based on a defendant's ties to the community and whether the defendant will show for court. I have no doubt that Anna should show for court. For one thing, she is only facing one count of "promoting prostitution" which is a Class D felony in New York.

I do not give a rat's rear-end about the allegations that Anna intended to go to Montreal back in 2008, when she found out that she was under investigation. More likely than not, she simply felt that a vacation was in order to let everything cool. She is not required by law to sit in one little location because someone decides to investigate and a visit to Montreal is certainly not escaping from anywhere. What a BS twist this DA has put on this entire case!

If you are female and own escort businesses or ever have in past, you should be really mad. If you were a client of any escort service, you should be angry as hell. Often people charged with murder have lower bonds. If you are an escort you should be angry, but probably do not give a fuck because it is not your problem and you may be one of the stupid witches that offered testimony in the Anna Gristina case to avoid a lousy misdemeanor charge. If you are an American or live in the US, you should be outraged.

I disagree with anyone needing to donate to the bond fund because the judge should lower it, but here is the link anyway:

Help Anna

I refuse to analyze the Gristina case here. Why? Because it is all immaterial in relation to a bond on a Class D felony. So, if you do comment and it involves a case analysis go to a previous article because it will not be posted here. Feel free to comment on the bond situation.

The Classy DC Escorts Case and Informants

There are more people interested in the Classy DC Escorts case than any other that I have ever posted about. From a legal perspective, there is not much going on with the case, at least there have been few documents filed. However, I am viewing this case argued and debated on TER and in some comments here.

More than once, I have felt provoked by comments made by anonymous posters here so I feel it necessary to offer a quick newsflash for those with comprehension issues. This blogger supports the defense, but this should have been obvious to anyone that actually bothers to read what I write. I also *feel* a few informants involved in the case trying to sway me to their side in emails and in comments, but that will never happen.

All that one must do is search the term "informants" in the blog search function to know how I feel about informants against adult business owners. There are numerous articles on the topic posted. In reference to the world of adult business, I view informants as snakes. You could chalk that up to my extensive experiences in my own case and trial.

The comment made by one party on a Classy DC post last night should serve as a guide of what not to waste your time posting here. I will respond more often than not. The truth is that I have no idea how these people operated this business; however, several situations, emails, and even telephone conversations that I have had about it have alerted me to current issues.

A main issue is that prosecutors do not seem to have a solid case against the defendants. If they did have a solid case they wouldn't have the need to hunt for escorts that they can call as witnesses. They're trying to find solid witnesses or a lengthy list of witnesses (voluminous) which would serve to persuade the business operators that a plea deal is necessary. With a voluminous case the quality of testimony is not as important.

Do not waste your time telling me that the driver and the confidential escort/witness discussed in the indictment are wonderful people. I am aware of the real back story and know that they were both thieves. I even have doubts about the story of pistol-whipping. They both had an agenda and the escort has her own business going in a different US city. She has even had probable clients claiming that she's wonderful. At least by the wording they sound like clients. Totally insulting to my intelligence.

And then there are the other escorts that never worked for this service and never encountered the owner trashing him and claiming friends that did work at Classy DC told her this and told her that - pure gossip and conjecture. No one gives a rat's ass dear. But if you do make it to any witness stand, a decent attorney would rip your testimony and your life apart - guaranteed.

The one document that I linked in my other posts on this case basically stated that discovery will not happen until 5-7 days before trial, if there is a trial. Doing it this way will allow prosecutors to keep their entrenched informants a secret and trust me: there are definitely entrenched informants involved. Some juries do not appreciate informant witnesses though as more often than not, they've committed worse acts than any defendants. Often this is revealed in trial - it was in mine. Such delays in discovery should be illegal.

Some of those informant witnesses are independent escorts and I really mean independent - working on their own on TER, Backpage, and EROS and also working with Classy DC Escorts. A circuit of sorts in a way, complete with cross country tour dates. I have no issue with independent escorts unless they decide to bite the hand that fed them. An escort business does have costs and expenses and marketing is time consuming. The fact is that any one of these escorts could have walked at any time - no one held anyone hostage in this case.

I also feel that at least one confidential witness was an insider and working with the feds long before the indictment was handed down. As a matter of fact, there probably would not have been an indictment if not for the insider. Prosecutors knew they needed more than the driver and the escort that claimed a pistol-whipping because that pair is not credible.

These days there are companies that offer snitches for hire. Really. They actually set people up on behalf of a paying defendant to reduce a sentence and they have extensive experience in such underhanded endeavors. I'm not going to link to the numerous websites that offer such services, but they're out there and I am even aware of the identities behind one such anonymous business. The US criminal justice system actually allows for such services. Of course prosecutors have no desire for a jury to hear about the practice.

Note that emailing me is a bad idea if you are an informant. Do not forget that. I am the last person on this planet that would be fooled by your bullshit.

When any documents of substance are filed in this case they will be uploaded to the Updates (Documents) page of my website. Feel free to check as often as you want to, but this past week there was nothing to upload that mattered.

EDIT on 23 April 2012 @2:45am EST: I added three documents to the Updates page. They are the last 3 and the very last document is scary, at least for 20 unknown people:

US Attorney Motion for Blank Subpoenas Filed 19 April 2012

Ofer Lupovitz Sentenced in California

I just read the news that Ofer Moses Lupovitz was sentenced today to 9 years in a State of California prison for his escort services based in Palm Springs. Ofer was convicted back in late October, but there were solid questions relating to the jury instructions that had to be resolved - obviously they were not resolved in favor of Ofer.

Man sentenced to 9 years for running Palm Springs prostitution ring

Palm Springs prostitution ringleader sentenced to nine years

I had many conversations with Ofer during his trial and he was as upbeat as anyone could be. Even when convicted, he still believed that the judge was fair and he wouldn't have a long sentence. At most he thought a 3 year sentence was possible, with much of that time already served. I am stunned at the 9 year sentence, though I did fear that everyone was not as friendly as Ofer believed. I chose not to post any additional information here as I feared it could cause him problems with the appeal or at sentencing.

Ofer Lupovitz is a truly nice, mild mannered, polite man that didn't deserve anything like this. I had to change my telephone number back in November and did not contact him (or anyone else) to offer the new number. At times, as many of the readers of this blog are aware, I tend to be anti-social. My bad in this case and I do intend to contact Ofer in the next few days.

I do hope that his attorney is working on an appeal. This is so terrible that I must say goodnight for now. I will post again on the situation with Ofer Lupovitz's case/appeal once I have been in contact with him.

Classy DC Escorts Case: Akuiyibo Denied Bond

At this point there are not many documents available on the Classy DC Escorts indictment and case. However, I chose a few documents so that the many interested readers can see the information firsthand. Of the six defendants in this case, only Kuraye Akuiyibo and Otasowie Asuen have been remanded to custody and denied bond. The other four defendants have been out on bond since the beginning or shortly thereafter.

I find the stated evidence to be questionable in this case as it relates to statements from the informant/escort and the driver involved. The alleged incidents involving a gun transpired, according to the indictment, in September of 2009, and then again in September of 2010. Apparently federal agents and prosecutors did not consider Akuiyibo to be dangerous to the public following these incidents as no one was indicted and detained until late January of 2012.

Yet Akuiyibo has been denied bond based on the allegation that he is a danger to the public. Hmmm... I don't buy it.

You read the linked PDF documents so that you can understand the inconsistencies in statements from the AUSA and actions of agents and the assigned prosecutor back in late 2009 and late 2010. According to the indictment, these are the only allegations involving violence of any sort. Did either incident ever even happen? I have my doubts.

Akuiyibo Complaint Cover Sheet - Filed 25 January 2012

Akuiyibo Government Memorandum - 16 February 2012

Arraignment of Defendants - 17 February 2012

We must all remember that the parties spreading unprovable allegations about Classy DC Escorts and the defendants in this case have an agenda. Most of the superfluous and questionable information is coming from an escort or two working hard to get back in the good graces of clients on various forums. Now they even have the clients restating said information as factual.

This case does have unindicted co-conspirators and informants. Take what they say with a grain of salt and caveat emptor!


More on this case as it develops.

Edit on 19 March 2012 @5pm EST: I have added several documents to the Updates page of my website. Check the Updates page weekly for additional documents. The Updates page is found here: Updates

One interesting document in particular is: Asuen Discovery Agreement Order 9 March 2012

Classy DC Indictment Notes

I did a thorough read of the Classy DC indictment and created this list of issues that seem significant to the the counts charged. Some of the issues are ridiculous – the use of email and telephones, for example. Okay, I'll be blunt here: The entire indictment is absurd, but then the grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia will quickly indict a ham sandwich if prosecutors place it on the agenda.

According to an unknown (and strange) party that contacted me a couple of nights ago wanting specific advice concerning opening an escort service in DC, MD, and VA, these people were in business since 2007 and the only reason for this indictment is that “violence is involved”. Is the party “Witness A” or another co-operating witness? I think so and from the wording of her questions, I also believe she's attempting to drag me into the fiasco.

Note to that party: Honey, people used to try to set me up on a weekly, or at least monthly, basis and this continued for years - too many years and obviously rages on. You just ain't good enough. I can usually smell bullshit a mile away as should be crystal clear by my responses. Try it again and I'll publish your emails for all to read, with the tracing info. It is clear that you did not read my Blueprintbook by the questions that you asked. I will write and publish any flippin' books I want. I have a clear understanding of my protections under the First Amendment – feel free to pass that message on.

According to info found in WHOIS for the Classy DC Escorts website, it was created in January of 2006, but the feds may not have noticed them until 2007, and didn't start any investigation until June of 2009:

domain: classydcescorts.com
created: 04-Jan-2006
last-changed: 04-Jan-2012
registration-expiration: 04-Jan-2013

Without considering specifics, I also take issue with the firearm crap. It sounds like this guy was ripped-off and became angry – his mistake; however, it's also based on the word of the parties that did the ripping. We do have a Second Amendment in the US and non-felon citizens are entitled to own a gun. There are processes in place to obtain a concealed weapons permit and I must wonder if the defendant's only real mistake was the lack of one. Escort business owners can be vulnerable to rip-offs. Having stated that, I acknowledge that no matter the amount of money at stake, one must walk away. It sucks, but it is how it is.

A major issue that I have is with the inclusion of the woman (Churchill) that did image or photo crops and altering for the website is that it seems this was her only connection to the operation. I suppose that we must assume the feds have her on tape acknowledging that she understood the images were of prostitutes that should be disguised – flippin' far-fetched if you ask me. Since when is something like this criminal, no matter what the circumstances?

The Indictment Notes

Also connected: DMV Indies, Prime DC, and 305 Playmates.

“Multiple facilities of interstate commerce” - including Internet website, electronic mail (email), cellular phones, automobiles that traveled on interstate highways, automated bank teller machines (ATM), Federal Express, PayPal, Moneygram, and Green Dot prepaid value-added cards.

Had ads on EROS and Backpage.

Concealed the true identity of prostitutes from LE and “johns” by directing prostitutes to choose a “working name”. (Duh – the escorts have a right to privacy)

One defendant altered or digitally enhanced photos for the company website. (Churchill)

Would verify “johns” by asking them to send a blank email from their employer's account. (easily bypassed, as is now obvious)

Kept a computerized calendar for appointments and contact information for many of the “johns”.

Made airline flight, Amtrack, and hotel reservations for the prostitutes.

UCC-1 was a driver that picked-up prostitutes at airports and Amtrack and transported to hotels in the DC area.

“Johns” paid cash. (that was intelligent)

Prostitutes kept 60% of collected money plus tips, but paid approximately 50% of travel and hotel costs. (fair business practice and more fair than most)

Agency collected from prostitutes on a daily basis and reports of money owed and collected were emailed to owner. Agency was paid in cash and on occasion Green Dot by prostitutes.

Mann Act and Travel Act violations. (that interstate crap will drag you down every time)

A part of the conspiracy that defendants made and received interstate telephone calls and electronic communications. (conspiracy to create income and conduct business)

Used Green Dot and Moneygram for interstate transportation of prostitution proceeds. (never advisable)

Paid Churchill (for image altering services) using PayPal – an UCC and defendants. ($60 in one case, $120 on another, and $200 on another) – (This poor woman has been dragged into a federal prosecution over that amount of money)

Deposits made to various defendants' personal bank accounts and several business accounts. (use of personal accounts a serious mistake)

UCC-1 instructed to deposit prostitution proceeds directly to a defendant's account on various occasions. (the driver made business deposits for the owner – never have a driver)

In September 2009, a defendant “brandished a firearm” and threatened a former Classy prostitute (Witness A). (You must wonder what she did to provoke such an action)

Emailed flight info to a woman that had previously responded to ad soliciting prostitutes. (or did those ads solicit escorts?)

In June of 2010, Witness B traveled from Houston to DCA to engage in sexual activity for money with “johns” on behalf of Classy. (we should expect that this is taped and not just the word of a busted hooker)

September 2010 a defendant assaulted UCC-1 and brandished a firearm during the beating. (We must wonder what provoked such an action)

January 21, 2011, Witness B traveled to the Eastern District of VA to engage in sexual activity with “johns” on behalf of Classy. (again, better have a tape to back that one up)

These notes are just my initial thoughts, but I do not see much to prosecute in this case. However, as with 95% of federal prosecutions, I suspect that the defendants will take plea deals. Time will tell.

Edit on 19 March 2012 @5pm EST: I have added several documents to the Updates page of my website. Check the Updates page weekly for additional documents. The Updates page is found here: Updates 

One document in particular that is interesting: Asuen Discovery Agreement Order 9 March 2012

Orlando MBI: The Long War on Adults

The War on anything adult and all publishers of ads for anything adult in the Orlando metro area started over 3 decades ago for Orlando's Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and continues today. The Orlando MBI's overzealous agents have left a trail of thousands of victims, many still in state and federal prisons. I was one of the lucky victims (lucky I'm not spending life in prison anyway) and Memoirs of an Accused Madam is my story.

The most vehement critic of the Orlando MBI was always the Orlando Weekly and the agency managed to silence the newspaper's investigative reporting with the October 2007 arrests of several advertising sales employees for selling ads to escorts and unlicensed massage therapists that offered more than the law allows.

Many around back in 1996 could testify to the fact that this was not a new strategy for the MBI, myself included. The War on publishers of ads for adult business began with the Yellow Pages Fiasco in 1996, when Sprint Publishing was threatened with a RICO case over a refusal to remove the “escort services” category in the Central Florida yellow pages. Sprint did remove the category, stopping the presses (literally) on the 1997 directories printed and distributed by November of 1996.

Someone stated to me back in 1993-94 that Orlando was a testing ground of some sort in relation to the eradication of anything involving adult business or vice, from gambling and bingo to escort services and X-rated movies. I believe it. The MBI's War on Adults has spread throughout the US these days with the attacks on Craigslist (an MBI priority before anyone else ever touched it) and now on Backpage.

Enjoy Bingo?

The MBI would have liked to make sure that you would never enjoy bingo in Orlando; however, Philip Furtney of Ontario fought the agency from 1995, until he died in late 2007, while in-process of a civil suit against members of the MBI Governing Board to retrieve his stolen property. Furtney's brother Bruce, on behalf of the estate, carried-on with the suit and won a judgment. As far as I am aware, Furtney's estate finally collected from the State of Florida.

I would like to keep Philip Leroy Furtney's criminal and civil cases alive in our memories forever and do so with the inclusion of links to posts on this blog. Never forget what the MBI is capable of:

The Bingo Racketeering Case

The Great Bingo Fiasco

Bingo Case Hearing

The Cost of MBI

Most Bizarre Racketeering Case Ever

True Investigative Reporting of a Renegade Agency

Over the years, the Orlando Weeklyand its investigative reporters were often nipping at the heels of the dogs at the MBI. Retaliation is hell and the Weekly and its employees paid dearly for placing the agency in the public eye. One day last week I did a search for MBI articles written by Weeklyreporters and each link was dead. A fear of sorts gripped me at the discovery, a fear that all the solid online information concerning the vicious pursuits of the MBI was being deleted and removed. Whew! It didn't happen and a few days later the links were all working. One other thought I had was that perhaps the Weekly had commissioned a book – that would have been wonderful; it would become a bestseller overnight. (Idea for the Weekly to help make-up for lost revenue!)

To keep the information out there I have compiled a list of important Orlando Weekly stories about the MBI over the last 10 years. Whatever the Weekly did last week with the links has made it so that the articles are on a dark red background with dark blue text – if you highlight the text it is much easier to read. They are in no particular order and searching the Orlando Weekly for stories on the MBI revealed 135 results so these are my picks:

29 Embarrassing Years: An MBI timeline

The Morality Police (scroll to view 2 images, 1 of the MBI director in 1989 and the other of Hitler's SA and both concerned over morality – scary stuff)

Operation MBI Shame: A close look at how Orlando's vice cops really operate

Cops in Cocoa stamp out sin

The MBI busts heads and Rich Crotty attempts to smile (smoke shop raids)

Our little Gestapo (MBI = "Central Florida's Church Lady with a Badge") (love this story!)

Score one for the MBI (about my federal civil suit being tossed with a twist at the end)

Something's Fishy (bad behavior of agents at a strip club)

Dirty Politics (on the Video Exposé takedown)

Operation Overexposed

Breasts out

Run 'Em Out of Town

Happytown Column (on The Original Bookstore raid)

The Booby Trap

Told You So (Part 2) (I can't locate part 1)

Legal Haze (smoke shop raids)

The links I have included reveal what the MBI really is, but there are many cases that even the Weeklywas not aware of and many defendants that have suffered at the hands of the overzealous agents of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. Few appreciate this agency in Orlando – the citizens did not ask for this whacked task force to eliminate all that is adult in Orlando. I will leave it to you to figure out what monster enterprise did.

I have written about a variety of cases in Memoirs that are not in any Weekly articles. In the past couple of months I've discussed the Orlando federal conspiracy trial of the 11 defendants from Eastern Europe on this blog – this is indeed an MBI case. MBI is not a local agency. I am not clear on how the agency has changed since former Director William Lutz retired, though at the conclusion of Memoirs I did believe there had been a significant change. Well, I have changed my mind.

I consider it important to keep the information out there and perhaps if I had given away free copies of Memoirs a couple of years ago after it was published, the most recent case involving the Eastern European defendants would never have happened; maybe, just maybe, they would have passed on Orlando. If not for the arrests of the Weekly employees in late 2007, there would be many more articles of cases that are now buried by the MBI.

If you are an adult that likes to gamble, play bingo, visit smoke shops, rent X-rated movies, read X-rated books, get a massage with a happy ending, patronize strip clubs, or call escorts... well, Orlando is not the place to be. We live in a fantasy land for children here - think about it - Disney shut down Pleasure Island (the nightclub theme park) in late 2008, after 20 years, because of demands by visiting families. The MBI has not been dissolved yet, with emphasis on yet, and we can only hope that one day...

If you do not like me, realize that it is the MBI that made me the person that I am today. I like who I am, but if you don't, well, you should know that I used to be a nice, mild-mannered woman. More than a decade of continuous harassment, interference in my life, and a show trial that rivaled many in the Stalin era did it. Change can be a good thing. I learned to kick back.

Backpage Under Attack: My Expert Opinion

Yesterday I did a search for the term “backpage” in Google News and found pages of news articles concerning recent arrests that involve ads on Backpage. Today I did the same search and found additional articles of arrests made in the past day. Village Voice Media, the owner of Backpage, is under serious attack by anyone and everyone that hates adult business of any type. Cops are using the website for stings all over the US now - really - search for yourself.

Before continuing here, I would like to go ahead and establish my expert status on the topic. While I am not an expert on sex trafficking, I do consider myself an expert on the so-called “sex trafficking experts” that are demanding Backpage remove its entire “adult” category, which includes the sub-categories: escorts; body rubs; strippers & strip clubs; dom and fetish; TS; male escorts; phone & websites; and adult jobs. I have dealt with one form or another of these experts with an agenda since 1992, and that is longer than any one of the so-called experts have tackled sex trafficking.

The religious groups involved in attacking Backpage are still cheering with delight over their victory at Craigslist. To clarify, it wasn't really a victory as those type of ads are now spread-out through many categories on Craigslist – participants in adult business manage to find the ads. Beyond this, Craigslist only lost in the court of public opinion and not in any actual court. In fact, if anything threatened by so many state attorney generals had actually gone to any court, Craigslist would have won and they all know it, which is why they choose the court of public opinion.

I would also like to establish that I have no horse in this race. I placed ads promoting my books in the “adult jobs” sub-category for close to a year ending over a year ago. So, I have no personal or business need for the “adult” category of Backpage and in fact, quite the opposite as many that purchase my Blueprint books start an escort service and follow instructions in the books and have websites and local listings online. There is no advice in any book to advertise services on Backpage or Craigslist and there never has been. There is an option discussed to place an ad in the sub-category “adult jobs” if one has any trouble finding independent escorts for the business, but then all advice is geared to working only with escorts over 21 years of age and even this option is updated to exclude such an ad anywhere on the Blueprint Blog.

The “adult” category ads on Backpage interfere with escort businesses that operate properly with websites and local listings, so I do not have any reason whatsoever to defend Backpage or the crowd that advertises in the “adult” category. Who really wants all these independent escorts advertising a $100 special? Not me or anyone that bought my books to enter the business. You can conclude that I have no horse in this race. My interest is based solely on the First Amendment rights of the publishers and an unequivocal disgust for the anti-adult business crowd.

The Print Publishing Agenda

When anything and everything adult went online many years ago we all realized that there would be good and bad. The world has progressed beyond print ads and this is true of any category. Is there anyone out there that actually believes that there were no sex traffickers that actually exploited children in operation before adult business went online? There were pimps on the street. There were underage prostitutes that worked for businesses that advertised in mainstream newspapers, independent news publications, and yellow pages. Nothing at all has changed except the delivery of the ad.

Print publications that include “adult” or “entertainment-adult” categories that have not succeeded in the world of online publishing and marketing would love to see the “adult” category of Backpage eliminated. Those inept advertisers not capable of creating and publishing a website or not interested in putting forth time and effort in their businesses to list online locally would probably flock back to print and they'd be back in the money – and make no mistake – it was big money for the print publishers. My print ads in the Reuben H. Donnelley (now Dex One Corporation) yellow pages in Central Florida total was around $50K back in 1996. These days one could accomplish the same by spending less than $1K a year online. Hopefully you understand the point here.

The Sex Trafficking Expert Agenda

These so-called sex trafficking experts disseminate false information to the naïve general population and most fall for it hook, line, and sinker. More often than not, people do not even bother to question the source agenda. You do realize that the DOJ passes out major grant money and funding to all of these so-called non-profit groups, right? They are non-profit” only in the sense that they do not show profits or pay tax on profits, but in reality all participants are collecting serious money in the form of paychecks and research grants. Do include local, state, and federal law enforcement in this agenda.

They have all formed task forces for what has existed forever by giving it a new label – the sex trafficking label. The pimp from the street moved online and now they all need $millions+ to find him – have you ever heard anything that absurd? I could pick out the pimps and underage prostitutes online easily in much less time and for much less money. These people are inept idiots that have managed to give themselves long-term paychecks at the expense of adult business, the US taxpayer, and the First Amendment.

DOJ-Funded Human Trafficking Task Forces – An excerpt:

“To facilitate multidistrict contacts and cooperation in sex trafficking cases, the U.S. Department of Justice has funded 42 jurisdictions and 36 trafficking victim services providers to form human trafficking task forces to identify and rescue victims of trafficking by proactively investigating such cases.”

Or could it be that it is not really a deep concern for a few underage prostitutes and their pimps and more of an anti-adult business agenda? Bingo. These people want to wipe-out all forms of adult business, but escort services and advertising websites used by escorts are the target du jour. They are happy that they'll put 200K+ adult independent escorts out of business with some lame pretense that they must stop a few minor girls from being sex trafficking victims. Bullshit – I have looked closer at many of their crap cases on this blog.

The fact is that they want no advertising venues to accept ads for any adult business or operator of any type. They have been at this for many years in the US, but have finally figured out out to get serious $$$$ for the agenda. Back when the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) went after Sprint Yellow Pages in Orlando there were no big funds available and few rallied to the cause – the MBI was on their own (with grant money from Disney) against the First Amendment rights of publishers and it was an ugly game. Read Yellow Pages Fiasco for more information on that mess.

More recently (2007-08) there was the MBI's lone pursuit of Orlando Weekly and its employees – a local Orlando newspaper: Well, Google the term “orlando weekly and mbi” to see the pages of results as all stories about the MBI in the Orlando Weekly are currently down or have been eliminated (http 500 error) or read First Amendment attorney Marc Randazza's thoughts: The Orlando Weekly Case

Now I am curious as to what is going on with the Weekly. All of the previously published stories about the MBI are unavailable, including The Morality Police, a major story published concerning many cases, including my own case. All stories that exposed the truth about the MBI have disappeared.

The Religious Agenda

This should be obvious to you. In the name of religious zealotry, the sex trafficking card is played often these days, but it isn't anything new for religious groups in the US to pursue the anti-adult agenda with any means available. A short story from Memoirs:

For an entire year I received about forty to eighty calls a month on my main toll-free number wherein the callers requested a free book about Jesus that they had seen advertised on a Christian program on television. I was always nice, and explained that it was a business line and I had no such ad. I advised them to call the program and question them about it. This was no big problem and only added about twenty or thirty dollars to my monthly bill.

After about a year, things suddenly changed: The phone would ring off the hook with calls coming in from all over the country. The callers were responding to an ad for free phone sex that ran on USA Network affiliate stations everywhere. Some stated that they saw the ad in a magazine as well. The callers described an ad with ladies almost entirely nude except for a small piece of lingerie. They all repeated my number to me, and the phone rang constantly with this crap from around eleven in the evening until two or three in the morning.

After about two months of these harassing calls I had the number disconnected. Every time I picked up the phone the billing started, and it was ten cents a minute. It was seriously running up the bill. I never actually saw the ad on television, but an escort that worked for me did and called me and described it to me. This was a toll-free number that I’d had since opening the business, and many repeat clients called it, usually from out-of-town numbers.

When I thought about the situation I realized that the free book about Jesus ad had not served the purpose that someone intended: to get me to turn the number off. Regardless, someone dug into their deep pockets and finally achieved the desired result. I was never able to get a person on the phone at any affiliate station that could direct me to anyone that had the advertiser’s information. This was an intelligent maneuver deliberately used to prevent me from receiving toll-free calls from clients, and it was successful.

The Court of Public Opinion

I can see that someone wanted all of those articles from the Orlando Weekly removed and unavailable online to the general population. They do not want you to know how long this war has been going on here and would prefer that you believed it was an admirable agenda. Someone told me many years ago (1993-94) that Orlando was a testing ground of sorts – I believe it. What used to be an MBI agenda is now being pursued all over the US using any and all tools in the toolbox. Caveat Emptor. The goods they are selling the general population are indeed defective in this situation.

Jason Itzler Disappears

I have written a few posts recently about Jason Itzler and occasionally I will look online at his current criminal case to see if there are any updates. I last looked a few weeks ago and there was a future court appearance date, but otherwise everything was the same: Itzler was still in jail and couldn't make bond.

Well, I just now looked as I was in New York WebCrims to see if there were any updates on the NY High Class prosecution (there are not). To my surprise, the major case against Jason Itzler totally disappeared. There are no cases showing at all under his name and trust me, there sure was before. My only posts on this blog concerning Itzler are:

Jason Itzler of NY Confidential Fame: Clown or Killer?
Too Many Enemies
More on Jason Itzler and Sumnicht's Death

Itzler was arrested on a list of major charges back on September 8 or 9 of 2011 - as in three months ago. I have been having an argument of sorts with one of his fans (not) on this blog and we all know the case existed. There are still news articles out there concerning his arrest and court appearances.

So what in the hell is going on with the guy and the case? Did he die in jail or is he being prepped/protected for his new career as a witness, namely in the Paul Bergrin case? If it involves being a witness, well, the guy has zero credibility so I cannot imagine what government prosecutors are thinking. He has always been rather close to a few news reporters, so I would think that it would be in the news if he died.

He is still showing on an inmate search for Riker's Island, for what that's worth. When I search WebCrims by the case number showing in NYC Dept. of Corrections, which states that Itzler is in the Manhattan Detention Complex (MDC), the result is "no cases found" - same as a name search.

Call me confused.

Edit 16 December 2011 @11:20am EST - Now the case shows in New York WebCrims. It also shows under "appearances" that Itzler was in court on 13 December 2011. Coincidence? I seriously doubt it.

Ofer Lupovitz Retrial?

As stated in my last post on the Ofer Lupovitz verdicts, due to an error in the jury instructions Ofer's attorneys have filed for a new trial:

Attorneys ask for new trial for man convicted of running prostitution ring

I'll return later (tomorrow) and edit with additional information. I'm happy now!

Ofer Lupovitz Verdicts In

I am sad and depressed to have to post this. I spoke with this kind and personable man for the first time a couple of days ago. He was very positive about the trial and thought that it looked good for him, though of course he was concerned at the same instant. I expected to hear from Ofer a short while ago and when I did not, I went searching for news and found the worst. Lupovitz was convicted, but that is the only story at this moment and news reporters have not expounded on the statement so we do not know if the conviction was on all counts or one or why.

I will edit this post as soon as I have more information.

Edit @10:25pm EST

Ofer was convicted on the conspiracy and pimping counts and found not guilty on the pandering charge. There will be an appeal filed over an actual error, a mistake in the jury instructions, but other problems are involved as the money laundering counts enter the picture if there was a conviction on any charge. Mr. Lupovitz is out on bail pending sentencing and having dinner at this moment. So sad.

Ofer Lupovitz Case Goes to Jury Soon

Today was the final day of testimony in the case of California vs. Ofer Moses Lupovitz. Tomorrow will bring closing statements from prosecutors and defense attorneys and by the conclusion of the day, the decision will be in the hands of jurors. There could be a verdict tomorrow or the jury may choose to return on Thursday to discuss the case and reach verdicts on each of the three counts.

I do not imagine that jurors will need to consider any of the counts for long though. If I were a gambler (and I am), I'd say that it is 80% or higher in favor of Lupovitz. Though he did not testify in his own defense, the intricate details of his entertainment company operation were made clear for the jury by an attorney and an expert. This man is a personable, well-spoken businessman that was deserted by his co-defendants to stand trial by himself in a far-reaching and downright crazy conspiracy prosecution.

If you were to hear the details of this case you'd believe that the State of California is flush with money and/or someone has a serious grudge against Ofer Lupovitz. After all the hoopla, media blitz, and serious charges, the reality is that there were independent contractors with clear contracts that detailed every part of the relationship each had with the company and specifics on expected behavior. Most important, there is no evidence that contradicts these contracts. None whatsoever.

For Mr. Lupovitz the lengthy ordeal will finally be over if the jury acquits on all three counts. The counts are 1) pimping; 2) pandering; and 3) conspiracy. If by some wild stretch of the imagination he is not acquitted on all counts, then the state could file some or all of the remaining counts (180) that he was charged with – I cannot envision this happening though.

I have made the statement that I am the only escort business owner to ever be acquitted by a jury on organized crime charges in relation to the business in any state or federal court in the United States. I do believe that as of tomorrow, or possibly the following day, I will be sharing that unlikely title with Ofer Moses Lupovitz. I cannot think of a better person that I'd like to share that title with. Perhaps it is a new trend and overzealous prosecutions in adult business cases won't fly anymore.

My thoughts are with Ofer Lupovitz on the eve of deliberations. It really will all work out as it is supposed to.

News Blackout on Moses Lupovitz Trial?

I initially discussed the case and trial of Ofer Moses Lupovitz in The State of California vs. Ofer Moses Lupovitz et al. I admit to knowing little about the case other than the initial arrests and the fact that opening statements in the trial commenced on September 20, 2011, but I want to know much more. I am cheering for this guy and hope to see him acquitted in this case.

There has been nothing whatsoever reported by anyone since September 28. That is two entire weeks ago. The last witness that testified for prosecutors that was reported in the news was on September 21. According to the source, the witness clearly described what was independent contractor behavior. She knew that she was not an employee.

For those of you that are unaware of prosecutorial strategies in such cases, the main line of attack is always that the escorts are employees and acting on behalf of the business in all that they do during calls booked. In my own trial, prosecutors continuously (non-stop) referred to each escort as an employee, even when documents and testimony revealed the work arrangements were not at all employer / employee and nothing they did at a call was on my instruction. The feds utilized the very same strategy in the Deborah Jeane Palfrey (former DC Madam) case. In my trial, I corrected this intentional and repeated misconception when testifying in my defense, but Jeane did not testify in her trial.

I truly hope that Moses Lupovitz chooses to testify in his defense. I am a firm believer that if he opts to not testify, it is likely that he will be found guilty on at least one count. The issue is that the general population is clueless on the topic of escort business operations and interactions between service and escorts. He must explain it to the jury or they certainly could accept prosecutor explanations.

I feel that if the trial were over and verdicts announced some news station would have written about it or discussed it. It would be really helpful if at least one reporter from one news outlet would reveal ongoing details or at least when prosecutors have completed their presentation and the defense begins.

I have emailed two reporters in that area and neither has bothered to respond, though both invite email. One of the reporters wants us all to “follow” her on Twitter for updates on the Elite trial, but her tweets are all about what she ate for lunch, how much change is in her piggy bank, and balloon rides for the last 2 flippin' weeks. WTH?

I am really rooting for Ofer Moses Lupovitz in this case and feel it is more than possible that he could be acquitted. After this trial he could face another trial as they did charge him with a total of 180 counts, but prosecutors state that what happens next depends on the outcome here. From all that I have read about this business and how it was operated, I must conclude that the only big problem issue involves credit cards, and that is related to the money laundering counts not included in this trial.

Will some reporter in California please report on this important trial? 

More on Jason Itzler and Sumnicht's Death

I have discussed Jason Itzler of New York Confidential fame in the last two posts. For the full picture read both first:

Jason Itzler of NY Confidential Fame: Clown or Killer

Too Many Enemies

Be clear on my viewpoint here that whoever drugged Julia Sumnicht with GHB (the date rape drug) back in March of 2010, deserves to pay legally for her tragic death. I just do not believe that it was Itzler. I do believe that he was set-up within a few weeks of starting a new business as a result of someone's perception that he drugged this girl, so the end result is that Jason Itzler will pay for her death whether he had anything whatsoever to do with it or not.

I do not like Itzler much as is evident by my last two blog posts. This should give weight to my defense of the guy and I do hope that the Sumnicht family's private investigators take notice of my thoughts. I am sure not his friend, though I do not doubt that he has friends, unlike the party that commented on the one post. I do read people decently and my take is that Itzler was also a victim that could have died that day.

The fact is that Itzler has too many enemies to consider a return to the escort business. He screwed-up royally with that move. The same could be stated about me having too many enemies, except that I stay a far distance from drugs and anyone involved with them so I have less to fear. Still... Regardless, Itzler should never have made a return to the business and by the looks of his situation today, it has cost him the rest of his life.

I just took a look at Itzler's case in the New York State Unified Court System and his bond is currently set at $200K in the list of charges from the “promoting prostitution” case that he was arrested in early September on. He is being represented by Legal Aid and his next appearance is on October 18, 2011.

The Miami Herald published an article on Saturday October 8, 2011:

Probe into aspiring model's Miami death links local photographer and NYC pimp

The noted article states much more than any earlier articles anywhere. Kudos to the reporter, Lomi Kriel, for really digging around before publishing. It is a two page article and once you reach the last half of the second page, you'll see that I am not the only one not ready to throw Itzler under the bus in the case.

I have been drugged in a club before. It happened in June of 1994 in Orlando, but I was lucky as I was with a couple of my cousins that had entered the club before I did and were playing pool. I sat down at the bar and ordered a Heineken bier. The only one that ever touched that bier was the bartender and myself and trust me; I didn't drug myself. I was deathly ill for several days, but thanks to my cousins I made it home. I only drank two Heineken biers that night so it wasn't the alcohol that did it.

According to the article in the Herald, Julia Sumnicht was not drugged in any club and this comes from the timeline given by the medical examiner. The question to consider here is: Who was not drugged that day? Read the article and you'll get my point. Enough said.

Too Many Enemies

A couple of days ago I wrote a post about Jason Itzler's current problem involving Julia Sumnicht's death in Miami in March of 2010, and have decided to expound on the issue: Jason Itzler of NY Confidential Fame: Clown or Killer?

After reading the news release from the New York County District Attorney's Office dated September 9, 2011, I got to thinking about his situation. According to this press release, the big set-up involving a “client” paying for an escort for 3 days and Itzler's alleged sales of $4700 worth of cocaine to this client in two separate visits to the hotel room transpired after he had only been in business for “a few weeks”.

Now I will be the first to tell you that this is unheard of in relation to escort services. Cops simply do not set-up and close a business within “a few weeks” of its opening. Jason Itzler has serious enemies as do many in adult business, but in this situation I would step out on a limb and state that the evidence gathering by private investigators working for Julia Sumnicht's family and Jason Itzler's September 9, 2011 arrest by the Manhattan D.A. on a list of felony charges are interconnected.

Sumnicht's family believes that Jason Itzler slipped GHB (the date rape drug) into their daughter's drink without her having any idea that this was done. In one article I read that the private investigators could actually prove this. I made it an exercise to list any possible means by which the P.I.s could prove that Itzler slipped GHB into her drink and there is no way that is possible. There is a possibility that his Miami roommate stated this to them, but I consider that doubtful and even then, this wouldn't be proof.

So it looks like the private investigators for the family are spreading rumor and innuendo as fact. From where I stand it also looks like they may be the party that set-up Itzler in relation to his brand new business. I find this disturbing for several reasons.

Jason Itzler has made many enemies over the years because of his incessant rattling to news reporters. I don't like him because of it. Why? Well he presents himself as being at the high-end of the escort business, and he is in relation to $s he charged for escorts, but then in the same breath he calls himself the “king of all pimps” and I find the term denigrating and a reflection on the business in its entirety. If this high dollar operator calls himself a pimp, what would the general population consider everyone else in the business to be? To me he is a walking conflict: He acts low-end and charges high-end while claiming class.

Still, even though I dislike Itzler, I dislike the thought that renegade adult business haters are quite possibly stalking him for the purpose of set-up even more. The women that worked for him made a lot of money for themselves and did so entirely voluntarily. I do not believe that there was ever any claim that he coerced anyone into anything. The guy just has a big mouth, but reminds me more of mighty mouse than anything else. I do not believe he needs to drug anyone for sex or any other reason. He's a popular guy with lots of friends no matter what I think of him.

Renegade adult business haters come from many backgrounds – I have my own, so I know. My angry followers are religious zealots. They say things like, “I pray to God that her telephones and websites are wiretapped” and “God bless you” all in the same sentence. Newsflash: I have always, as far back as day 1 in the escort business, talked and acted as if my telephones were wiretapped and email was monitored. That is why I was acquitted.

I really do not like the idea that someone other than skilled detectives accountable for their actions have been allowed to play stalk and set-up with Itzler and there is little doubt that this is the situation.

Jason Itzler of NY Confidential Fame: Clown or Killer?

I have never mentioned Jason Itzler on this blog for a couple of reasons. The main reason that I ignore him is that he sought fame as a result of mismanaging the escort business known as New York Confidential for two years (2003-04) and his mismanagement resulted in a plea bargain and prison sentence in 2005. It is so easy to open and operate an escort service the wrong way and end-up in prison so why did he get all of the attention that he demanded?

The secondary reasoning for never discussing him is that I have always considered him a clown. What moron calls himself the “king of pimps” publicly and to news reporters in interviews? Itzler does, or rather did. I find the entire concept absurd and would have renamed him the king of clowns. Beyond that, I have felt for some time that it is entirely possible that Jason Itzler is a confidential informant, though if he is, he sure didn't get a very good deal for whatever information he gave. Hell, this idiot is even the clown of CIs, if he is one.

I am only writing about Itzler now as something that I read yesterday was really disturbing. So that we are on the same level of understanding here, the articles that I found disturbing are:

'King of Pimps' linked to UW-L student's death

Private investigators have evidence to charge “King of Pimps” with student death

Date Rape Drug OD Death of Aspiring Model Julia Sumnicht Linked to “King of All Pimps” Jason Itzler

Jason Itzler was arrested on various charges in relation to a new business in New York, a companion service as he referred to it in court, just a couple of weeks ago (September 9^th I believe). There were drug charges included this round and he has been arrested on drug charges in past; smuggling ecstacy to be specific. This time the charges include selling cocaine to this alleged client of his new business. I must imagine that the “client” was a set-up to begin with.

According to the articles noted, Julia Sumnicht's family hired a private investigator that discovered Julia's last hours before she returned to sleep in her own bed were spent with Itzler and his Miami roommate Zoltan Prepszent, a photographer. Dumb as he is, Itzler has already been running his mouth to reporters in NY from jail in relation to this girl's death and the GHB he also ingested, but of course he didn't die, and there was no mention of whether Prepszent took the crap also, or not.

You'd think that after all of his previous arrests and his time in prison, Itzler would have learned to shut the hell up by now. He's so stupid that he apparently doesn't realize he's probably going to be facing a murder or wrongful death arrest in the near future.

So is he a clown or a killer? In my opinion he is a clown and as clueless as Julia Sumnicht was. So who drugged both of them or did they drug themselves? If this girl took the drugs of her own free will and Itzler did not provide them, can Itzler still be charged in her death? After all, we are all responsible for our own lives and behavior.

Beyond that, if the feds intended to use Itzler as a witness in Paul Bergrin's trial, well, he has indeed worn-out his usefulness and tanked his credibility forever.

The State of California vs. Ofer Moses Lupovitz et al

This is an interesting case and as it turns out, Lupovitz is the only one going on trial in this 2006 case as his co-defendants fled the US. Apparently Elite Entertainment operated in four states: California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona, though the case was charged by the State of California and not the feds.

Altogether Lupovitz faces 180 felony counts, but this trial is only on the pimping and pandering and conspiracy counts. The other charges are on hold pending the outcome of this case.

The defendants (all of them) may indeed be not guilty as charged. One escort or entertainer has testified that 90% of the time she was a companion and offered no sexual services as prosecutors claim. The only catch to this is that credit cards were charged large sums of money referred to as tips, so prosecutors could actually subpoena all of the clients if they had to. But if the independent contractors acted completely on their own, there is no case.

According to an article written by for mydesert.com, one escort that testified a week ago today, described what is clearly independent contractor behavior. Lupovitz's wife, a co-defendant's wife, and an escort have already pled guilty in the case, but the remaining three co-defendants are fugitives. The escort testified that she took money for prostitution, but this really has nothing at all to do with the business.

There is plenty of news out there about the arrests back in 2006, but little on the trial currently going on. I will assume that there will be more news as soon as the jury returns verdicts in the case and will post here accordingly. Be excited - this guy may actually be found not guilty - but no matter how it all concludes, at least he had the guts to take them to trial!

Initial Look at High Class NY Escort Case

Although the actual indictment by the New York Grand Jury is not yet available online, I took a closer look at the entire situation. Sometimes it is complicated to extract what is real and what is not from articles in mainstream media and often bloggers just copy parts of articles. We all know that frequently situations are twisted and misrepresented in media and I am guilty of having little trust in the system of injustice in the US, whether it is a state or federal case.

So far I find one major issue that stands out in the High Class NY case. Jonathan Yampolskaya, the step-son of Mikhail Yampolsky, was charged with “criminal possession of a controlled substance,” charged as a misdemeanor on June 3, 2011, by NYPD. In this case his attorney is listed as Legal Aid, but as of today no motions have been filed in the case. In the current indictment his “top charge” is a B Felony, stated as “Cscs-3rd: narcotic drug – cocaine”.

One of the investors, Yaklov Maystrovich, has the low bond of $5000, yet he is also charged with the B Felony “enterprise corruption” 10 counts of “money laundering,” a E Felony, and 1 count of “promoting prostitution,” a D Felony. I am somewhat puzzled as defendants with the same charges (like Bronislava Yampolsky) have a $75,000 bond.

Others charged in the case are Valerii Loboda, Oleg Lechko, Alexey Senenov, Pinia Ashkinadze, Yury Gorelik, Boris Ratovsky, Meredith Harford, Angelo Pascacello, Irina Pobukovsky, and Ilya Olshansky. Loboda also has that $5K bond, Lechko was released on his own recognizance even though he has a list of charges that include the B Felony “enterprise corruption,” Senenov doesn't show as having a filed case, Ashkinadze has the $5K bond as does Gorelik. Ratovsky also has the $5K bond, but is charged with more counts than most including drug charges. Harford has a $10K bond and a longer list of charges too. Pascacello has a lengthy list of counts and the $5K bond, Pobukovsky has a really lengthy list of charges and was released on her own recognizance, and Olshansky has a $5K bond.

According to the system, no one with a bond has posted it yet. This could be due to a delay in updates or they may all still be in jail and unable to post bond because of frozen funds. Really with the exception of the main four family members charged, all the bonds are low by any standard.

As to the clients involved in this case, I would bet that many will later be contacted by investigators. None should have been so ignorant as to use a credit card to pay for an escort, and especially after knowing that “discrete billing” was in place. There's no such thing as “discrete billing,” by the way, and this is a euphemism for credit card factoring in Florida, which is often charged as “money laundering,” as in this case.

The reason that I believe at least some of the clients may later be contacted is that I do not foresee quick guilty pleas for the main four family members in this case, or at least not three of them. That is not saying that I feel all or any will take it to trial, but I do feel that it will be some time and discovery later if there are plea deals. This case is not as plain as most articles paint it to be.

I also feel, from reading what is available, that there was an initial arrest or two that escalated this case. Yep – you read my mind – there is an informant or two involved.

I have also had time to reflect on the long ago argument / debate with some member of this group. I have no way of knowing who specifically chose to email and post anonymous comments on this blog back then, but they were not kind comments at all. In fact they were so rude, in a personal way, that I chose to delete them later. My final comment remains as posted under a March 2010 article. Maybe someone took heed and opted not to cross state lines, but clearly the credit card issues didn't stick. Regardless, I do not hold it against the person.

Even all other escort business information out there for sale advocates the acceptance of credit cards. I only know what I know from listening to my father (now deceased) back in 1995, and from watching what happened to others. Many disagree with me, but then I am the only escort service owner in the US to ever be acquitted on organized crime charges by a jury so I figure that I must know something about it all and leave it at that.

We shall see how this case unravels, but don't be surprised if it is more complicated than media has made it at this time.