Informants that Reappear

I have written about the MBI informants of past mysteriously reappearing in my life on this blog and I addressed the topic in Memoirs of an Accused Madam, but this one takes the cake so I'll tell you about her and her many appearances in my life. I named her Crystal in the book as that was an alias that she used for years. Crystal owned escort services in Orlando from the same point that I opened in late 1992, until ?. Hey, for all I know she still owns one, but supposedly she closed in 2001.

When I met Crystal, she contacted me through my first escort service ad in the 92-93 edition of the Orlando Bellsouth Yellow Pages. What she didn't mention at the time was that she had her own ad in the Sprint yellow pages that would be distributed a month later. So for all purposes here, she was in business as long as I was. The MBI used a list of escort service owners as state witnesses in my case. None were ever charged in relation to their own businesses. This in itself is laughable, but that's another story for a different day.

According to Crystal, she had nowhere to go for Thanksgiving dinner in 1992, so as gullible as I used to be, I invited her to my parent's for dinner. Kindness has smacked me in the face so many times that it's a wonder that I even speak to people – oh wait, I guess I don't really speak to people anymore. I suppose we all reach our breaking point, and mine was the case and trial. If you read the book you do not wonder why. Back to dear Crystal the informant and what she's up to today:

My mother received a letter in the mail from Crystal. It addressed my mother by her first and last name. No attempt to reach me, only to have my mother, who is 80 years of age, open the letter. My mother last saw Crystal in 1992 as we all ate Thanksgiving dinner together. That is 17 years ago! Still, Crystal had my mom's full name and address, and actually used the correct nickname instead of her full first name on the envelope. Someone thinks that I fell off of the turnip truck, don't you think? You'd really think that they would know better by now. Anyway, this is what the letter states:

7 July 2009

Dear Ms. [last name],

I met you when I was with your daughter, Vicky, a few years ago.

I'm writing because I don't know how to get in touch with Vicky. I lost her number over a couple of years ago. I just wish to say hello to her and wish her well. Ask her to call me at 407-000-0000.

Sincerely,

Crystal [real name]

She states "a couple of years ago" as if this was recent (try 1992). After meeting Crystal back then, my mother later stated: "Vicky, don't ever bring that bitch over here again." My father stated: "Stay away from her Vicky. She is trouble." I always liked playing with fire though, so I have played with Crystal's mind ever since. What ever I was doing over the years I usually told Crystal the opposite. Sometimes I made it believable, and other times I didn't bother. It is interesting (gag) that she recalls my mom's nickname and address 17 years later, but claims to have lost my number. It's especially interesting if you know that she threw-out every piece of paper in her house years ago – she left a sack of papers at my door at a house I rented on Merritt Island back in 2006. I didn't answer the door because I never gave her the address and she was not invited there. Oh, and the sack of papers went directly to the outside trash can when she finally gave-up an hour later and drove away. She also lost everything in her house due to mold from a 2004 hurricane that came through Orlando – last I heard she was attempting to force the insurance company to pay full market value for the house and contents. But I guess she saved my mom's name and address out of it all anyway.

So let's call her and see what she has to say. I guess I still like that fire. Well, six rings and a generic-voice asking one to leave a message. I'll pass. I never leave messages. In her case it means that she needs to notify someone that I'm calling her. Does anyone actually wonder why I'm elusive these days? I'm not findable unless you catch me checking my mail once a week. I do apologize that I haven't posted to the blog in 2 weeks, but I cannot explain what I was up to other than to state that it's research for a third book, but I'm back now. The existence of people like Crystal, and those that put her up to this crap, forces me to be elusive.

Reform and Rehabilitation?

Has the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) been reformed or rehabilitated?

The MBI that I describe in Memoirs of an Accused Madam: The War on Adult Business in Orlando, and in these articles, is the MBI of past as far as I can tell. Last fall an announcement appeared on the MBI website stating that longtime director, William Lutz, would be retiring in December 2008. I did bid him a heave-ho in the Epilogue of my book. I'll be honest here – I was hoping that the agency would be dissolved. It doesn't look like I got my wish, but it is looking like the MBI is a reformed agency under its new director and the former Brevard County Sheriff, Phil Williams.

The strange part is that Lutz's retirement statement is still posted on the top of the main page on the MBI website, and the website is the same as Lutz left it, with no additional "My Word" editorials and no new press releases. Why wouldn't the agency brag about its new director? Lutz was not liked by many people, so I would think that there would be an announcement of the changes. Phil Williams deserves an announcement. Past strategies and agent misconduct went out the window when Williams took over – I know this because I have always been tied to Brevard County and I'm positive that the past behavior and selective targeting would not be acceptable to Phil Williams.

It also looks like the attack on adult businesses was tossed to the curb since Williams took over the agency. The new MBI has new agents and is all about drug trafficking and violent crime cases. Oh, I'm sure the agency would go after an adult business that clearly or obviously broke the law, but I don't think we will see any more of those lengthy pursuits, threatened witnesses, and criminal behavior. MBI Commander Zambouros is also gone – now this guy really enjoyed the sex cases. I hereby bid Zambouros a heave-ho.

Farewell to the old criminal MBI! Welcome to the new reformed and rehabilitated MBI!

So where's the announcement? Trust me; the great majority of central Florida residents will be ecstatic to hear that the old guard is now history. Now my book is about history: the history of the MBI war on adult business in Orlando. The MBI is an agency that will forever leave its mark on central Florida.

Skeletons in the Closet

If reading about MBI cases is not your thing, you probably are not reading this blog anyway, so I'll keep saying what I have to say. We have a real serious situation here and I will take this opportunity to bring it to your attention.

The serious situation concerns some 1996 cases – you're probably thinking that the cases are beyond concern because of time limitations, but think again. You also might wonder how many cases I'm referring to when I use the term some. I know of many cases that were merged with other cases, so I am positive that I'm talking about one case with 9 defendants, one case with 1 defendant, and one case with 5 defendants. I am sure/positive that there are more that I am unaware of, as I do know that some were moved to nearby Osceola County and some are single-defendant cases wherein I do not know the defendant's name to search for the case. So, to start with, we are talking about the lives of 15 people. The Orange County case numbers are:

96-CF-0003504-O
96-CF-0011913-O
96-CF-0011915-O


The first listed case involved five defendants charged as a part of Operation Plastic Empire. It's a case that I will examine closely in the coming week. The main defendant is Joseph Fabozzi. The other defendants are Carmine Fabozzi (now deceased), Mario Fabozzi (in a Florida prison), Andrew Luaces, and Luaces' wife.

The second listed case involved the nine defendants listed in Operation Plastic Empire.

The third noted case is the one defendant case – Victoria Igunbola was arrested on a misdemeanor account of prostitution six months earlier, signed up (she owned her own escort service) with Operation Plastic Empire to accept credit cards, was arrested for money laundering and credit card factoring, and then began her new career as an informant for MBI. She set-up lots of people (owners and workers) in the body-scrub parlor busts of 1997. Most of Victoria's victims never had a clue as none went to trial. I knew she was an informant when she started working at a Seminole County parlor and a friend working there described her to me.

So what is the problem here?


Well, the root of the problem is that Operation Plastic Empire – the big credit card sting case that began as IRS Operation Out Call, was not a legal set-up at all and the cases should be overturned. The many defendants should never have been charged to begin with. In federal law there is a remedy for this, regardless of guilty pleas and any attorneys that neglected to file appeals, and that remedy is not limited in time. This complex reverse sting operation criminalized and prosecuted commercial behavior, and not criminal behavior. The State of Florida had no justification to prosecute the defendants. The worst part, other than the ruined lives, is that this actually passed the smell test with Circuit Court judges and defense attorneys, but then that's how it often is with railroad jobs. This is just the beginning.

More on this mess as it develops.

A Voice from the Past

Today I received an email from one of the victims of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation's (MBI) Operation Plastic Empire. It was one of the most successful law enforcement operations in escort service history. When I state most successful, I am referring to the number of escort service owners arrested and convicted, and the number of services closed as a result of the operation. This is the only aspect of this operation that could be considered successful. Trevor was searching online when he came across my name, remembered me, ordered Memoirs of an Accused Madam, found the email address at the conclusion, and emailed me.

We spent some time on the phone trading stories and memories of MBI misconduct. Trevor is living proof that a person can eventually overcome an attack and persecution by the MBI, but the case began in 1996, so obviously it has been a long road for him. Still, he doesn't forget a single detail, as I don't regarding my own persecution. He recalled every moment of his isolation in the criminal justice system at the hands of the MBI. His first attorney later became a judge (gee, I have a first attorney like that too), his next attorney was from the Office of the Public Defender's Office – nice guy, but all too clueless. I spoke to the public defender back in 1996 when Trevor called me from jail, but I'll be the first to admit that I was dumb and didn't know what to do anymore than the attorney did. Suddenly I feared anyone attempting to connect me to the case and I backed away. I was of no help whatsoever, and for that I apologize to Trevor.

Trevor managed to recall messy MBI cases that even I, the expert on the MBI, had long forgotten. One was the case of Thomas Capp (not sure the name is spelled correctly). Tom owned some place that served as a S&M house in central Florida. I do not believe that the services offered were in any way illegal, but I know little about the case and just remember the news and stories from escorts that I encountered around the time of the bust. Tom committed suicide before he ever pled to charges or made it to trial. He did so with a shotgun, if memory serves me, through his chest. It was a mess from what I heard, and Tom left behind many distraught friends.

I was unable to locate any information from Tom's case. Most likely this is because when a defendant dies before all appeals have been addressed the case is erased from records. In this case I do not believe that there was a conviction anyway. Rest in Peace Tom.

Tom is far from the only suicide on the hands of agents from the MBI and State of Florida prosecutors in central Florida. I personally know of several other suicides, and will venture a guess that there are more that I am not aware of. I recall there being an article in the Orlando Sentinel about Tom's suicide, but there is nothing to be found in the archives.

In the next week I'll be discussing suicide and the MBI. I sometimes wonder how some of the agents involved in the serious misconduct manage to live with the blood on their hands, and with the knowledge of the created cases that imprisoned victims for years and/or ruined lives. How does anyone live with such a sordid past?

Bullies and Con Artists

If you have ever read any of my blog articles or my book, then you are aware of my feelings towards the MBI, but I'm not so sure that anyone understands how I view the agency or the former agents. The feelings range from anger to disgust. The main reason that I feel this way is that I abhor injustice, and every single case investigated by the MBI that I have examined, including my own, involves some level of injustice. In most situations the agency also criminally harasses its targets.

The injustice could be something simple like the abuse of state funds for self-gratification as in the Rachel's Men's Club case – agents passed out thousands of dollars to watch sexual girl-on-girl shows on several occasions, as if dancers could not be arrested for anything less. The MBI spent close to $200,000.00 investigating the club. One agent was on tape as stating his intent to have sex with a dancer.

It could also be more complicated, like hounding an escort repeatedly at her workplace where she worked as a leasing agent for an apartment complex and threatening to make sure that her children were taken away if she didn't provide the statement that the agents demanded, as with "Maria" in my case. They never sought the facts or the truth, and that in itself is injustice permeated upon each and every defendant investigated by the agency and each and every coerced witness.

This still does not reveal how I really view the agency as feelings and viewpoint are two different topics. The first descriptive thought that comes to mind is con artists, and the second is bullies, but while the MBI is capable of shaking me up, they have never scared me. Many people in the adult business, from dancers to escorts to business owners, have told me stories of various acts of misconduct on the part of MBI agents, and each came across as petrified of the agency. For me the answer was simple: Clarify the threat at the time that it is stated.

If an agent repeatedly visited my workplace in attempt to embarrass me in front of fellow employees with the goal of coercing a false statement, I would not hide or be afraid as "Maria" was, and instead I'd make sure that I had witnesses to the agent's statements and actions. Write down contact information for each witness. "Maria" was fired by her employer and should have sued Agent Rose and his supervisors, not feared him. As she sat on the stand in my trial, she looked scared and frozen. You can never fear the bully; it's counterproductive.

To summarize my viewpoint of the MBI, I do not consider them scary at all. Any of these many petrified defendants and/or MBI victims could have simply invoked their right to counsel. There are many great defense attorneys out there, and not all charge exorbitant fees. In many of the situations described, simply invoking the right to counsel and the right to remain silent would have resulted in being tossed out the door. These are bullies, and what they do is bluff. Face it, if they already had a solid case, as they claim in most situations, they wouldn't need to talk to you. They would simply arrest you, because that is what they do. The threat game is precisely that – a game. They are not there to help you or to hear your version of the story – they could not care less on either point.

From my view, the agents involved in my own case, the (now former) director, Bill Lutz, and the members of the MBI Governing Board are not scary. Each is a con artist that sells the public their version, but only the weak or the ignorant would help them do so. In the United States we do have rights, but what no one mentions is that you must fight for those rights till your dying breath. No one informs you of your rights and it is your own responsibility to enlighten yourself. Finally, no one will ever hand you those rights on a silver platter – you must demand each right.

After Arrest: A Story

Today when referring to an event in the past it is always categorized as before arrest or after arrest, as the day that I was arrested everything in my life changed, and it changed forever. This is an after arrest story. It transpired when I was awaiting trial, in November of 2002.

In June 2002, the sale of my house went through and I moved my son, Alex, to South Texas. His father flew in, rented a U-Haul, and Alex and Robert, his father, drove with all of our household belongings to Corpus Christi. I stayed in the house for the last couple of weeks with only the few things that I intended to move to my mother's. By early July I was living in Brevard County at mom's place and Alex had settled into life in South Texas. I had to have some income, so I tried one job and then another. The first was driving a taxi in Brevard County, and that lasted all of 2 weeks – it's another story for another day. By early November, due to lack of choices in Brevard County, I responded to a newspaper advertisement for "sandwich makers" at a Subway in Cocoa Beach. The owner, Caroline, scheduled me for an interview.

I'll be honest – I didn't even know that people applying for fast-food minimum wage jobs had interviews. I thought that a person would just walk-in and be hired if they looked decent, but Caroline ran a tight ship. The application that I filled out asked if I had ever been convicted of a felony, and of course I checked the no box. During the interview Caroline asked me if I had ever been arrested – now this is actually illegal; regardless, I needed the job, so I answered. She asked questions about the case and I told her about what the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) had done to me. Caroline was silent for a moment and then informed me that I must have a second interview with her manager, Rob. I was puzzled because I had never heard of two interviews for such a job, but I agreed and she told me to return at 4pm the following day.

I arrived at Subway a few minutes early and Rob directed me to wait at a table. About ten minutes later he joined me and asked a few questions that led to more questions in relation to my arrest. When I first stated "MBI" this guy looked as if his world fell apart. He immediately stood-up, began pulling me out the front door, and spoke like a man in a panic, "Let's talk outside."

Rob and I walked to his vehicle and he explained a bit of his own story. He looked as if he was flipping-out, with eyes wide and mouth open – as if I'd walked into the place and pointed a gun in his face or something similar. Rob informed me that his father had died in Cape Canaveral Hospital six months earlier, just after his release from prison. He also stated that he was still, more than a decade later, on probation from the case. It all happened in the late-1980s. The conversation turned to particular agents and then the director of the MBI, William Lutz. When I said Lutz, Rob looked totally and absolutely horrified. Rob was pacing and talking at the same time. I don't believe that I have ever seen anyone look that scared in the course of any conversation. Rob told me a story:

"I was working as a bank manager at a bank in Orlando back then. My father was involved in smuggling drugs out at the port [Port Canaveral] and they accused me of laundering money for him. Bill Lutz was an agent back then. They took me to their offices and started drilling me about my father, but I just kept repeating that I didn't know anything about his business, money laundering, or drugs. Then out of nowhere, Lutz pulls out his gun and points it at my forehead – the barrel was less than an inch away! He screams: "NOW TELL US ABOUT YOUR FATHER OR I'LL BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT HERE AND NOW!" I closed my eyes. I really believed that he would do it. I thought I was going to die. With my eyes closed I stated again that I didn't know anything about my father and drugs. I flinched and opened my eyes. The gun wasn't at my forehead anymore. He didn't shoot, but I thought I was as good as dead. I really thought he was going to do it. He's nuts."

I informed Rob that I was taking my case to trial, but I'm not sure that he believed me. He gave me the job, though I only worked there for a couple of weeks as my son called me wanting to come back, and days later got on a Greyhound bus with several extra large boxes filled with his personal stuff. The bus had mechanical trouble and Alex and his boxes were transferred to a different bus that terminated in Jacksonville. So here it was the day before Thanksgiving 2002, and my son was stranded in Jacksonville. I was at work when Alex called, and told Caroline the problem, but she didn't care and stated that I had to work as scheduled and could not leave. I quit the Subway job and drove to Jacksonville to pick-up Alex.

After my acquittal in the case I went back to Subway to see Rob. I tried to get a sworn (notarized) statement from him, but his fear took-over and I never did receive it. I wanted his help to finally do something about the MBI, but the fact that Lutz was now (at that point) director, petrified Rob beyond description. I have just never seen anyone that horrified. Months later Rob was back in jail in Brevard County for a Violation of Probation. I was told that he developed a serious drug problem after the MBI mess with his father and his encounter with Lutz. Apparently Caroline had been dragging him to Church with her several times a week, but as he recalled that horrifying day at the MBI offices, the gun at his head, and the real fear (at least to him) that it could happen again, he regressed. I am sorry that I reminded Rob of his nightmare experience. If I could locate him I would help him.

Defining Escort and Escort Service

What is an Escort Service?

In the course of my research for a second book that's in progress, a situation of great importance, at least in the adult business world, has come to my attention. I believe that what is transpiring can easily be attributed to law enforcement continuously labeling hookers as "escorts" and brothels and in-call operations as "escort services" – it is as I stated it in Memoirs of an Accused Madam – the general population listens to these police agencies and believes what they state, and after it is stated repeatedly on various forums over a length of time, it becomes factual, at least in the mind.

Definition of "escort" from two sources:

Oxford University Press Dictionary & Thesaurus (2002 version):

noun (1) – entourage, attendants, bodyguard, protector, convoy, defender, contingent.
(2) – partner, companion, gigolo, hostess, geisha; informal date; dated beau.

verb (1) – accompany, guide, conduct, lead, usher, guard, protect, safeguard, defend.
(2) – partner, accompany, take out, go out with, attend on.

Cambridge University Press (2009 online version)

noun (social companion) (1) – a person who goes with another person, usually someone of the opposite sex, to a social event. (2) – someone, often a young woman, who is paid to go out to social events with another person: He hired an escort girl to go to dinner with him.

verb (formal) – to go to a social event with someone, especially a person of the opposite sex: Who will be escorting her to the ball?

Nowhere in either definition does this describe "prostitute," as a geisha is not a prostitute. Only in the U.S., thanks to overzealous law enforcement agencies, is "escort" defined as "prostitute." It must be noted that both Oxford and Cambridge are universities in the UK, so one may find "escort" defined as "prostitute" in a recent US dictionary – this is the trend lately, and not the proper English definition.

Definition of "escort service" or "escort agency":

Cambridge states: a business which supplies people who work as escorts.

Oxford online nor my 2002 version list these terms. Merriam-Webster also does not list it, so I'll go with the above stated Cambridge definition.

Now that we've straightened that out I'll get back to the problem at hand. I met two ladies a couple of days ago and each told me they had worked as an "escort" recently; however, both described an incall/brothel situation, and not at all an escort service. According to their stories, the business operator set them up in an apartment, scheduled 15 minute appointments, and sent in men. This could never be described as an "escort service" – it's clearly an incall operation, and if sex was involved, a brothel situation. Neither stated whether sex was involved or not and I didn't ask, as it falls in the category of none of my business. It simply infuriates me that a business operator would present such an operation as an escort service and these ladies had the audacity to refer to themselves as escorts! But then, I'm sure they interpreted it to be exactly that from listening to local law enforcement rhetoric that is now embedded in the minds of the general population.

An escort service sends escort out, and the escort and client go out to dinner, to a club, or tour the area. They do meet in the client's hotel room, but only to take care of business matters as this is not done publicly. An escort service can also operate as an entertainment business. An entertainer can entertain a client in the privacy of his home or hotel, and by "entertain" I mean offer a non-therapeutic body rub, a private dance, or a lingerie show. Certainly there will always be greedy and/or in-need escorts that will accept additional money (in the form of tips) for illegal services, but escorts are paid for time and company, not prostitution services. I have not yet encountered a real escort agency that takes any part of these tips, and few promote this type of service – why would they? While any escort service operator would hope that the ladies are tipped, at the same time none would expect it to be at their expense or for prostitution services.

These days every prostitute in the country is referred to as an escort, from the street hookers to the online hookers found on BigDoggie.net, Backpage, Craigslist, in Village Voice ads, or on The Erotic Review. The ads clearly reflect prostitution services, not escort services. There is a difference in services just as there is a difference in ad content. Skip the inappropriate labels, please.