New York Criminal Lawyer Blog

A New York Criminal Lawyer has learned of a close friend of President Obama who was arrested in Hawaii for allegedly patronizing prostitution. Unfortunately for him, this prostitute was an undercover police officer.

The 49-year-old man was caught in “a reverse prostitution operation by Honolulu police,” police sources revealed.

The resident of the state of Hawaii, a childhood friend of President Obama, was one of four men who were arrested in that sting, involving police officers who would lure in would-be johns through a phony escort site on the Internet, local news reported.

The suspect was released at 11 p.m. the same night of his arrest, after posting $500 bail for the crime, which is only a misdemeanor. It was not the first arrest for him, however. A Bronx Criminal Lawyer has learned that the suspect, who has been a commercial fisherman and an airline worker, was also arrested back in 1987 on drunken driving charges. In that case, his driver’s license was suspended for 90 days and he had to pay a fine of $150.

The latest incident was about 45-minutes by car from his home, which lies on the North Shore of Oahu. This home has been host to Obama, his wife Michelle, and their two daughters, Sasha and Malia, in the past.

Just a few months ago, Obama spent a day of his Christmas vacation at the suspect’s home to attend an annual luau. The suspect also played golf with the president over the weekend.

Obama, also 49-years-old, spent many years of his youth in Hawaii. His half-sister still lives in the state. The suspect and the president attended the same high school, as well, though they were a year apart.

On Obama’s 49th birthday, he and the suspect played golf, just outside of Washington, along with other friends from Hawaii.

The White House issued no comment on the arrest. He is due to face the charge on May 2, 2011.

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A couple from Mission, Texas who plead guilty before a U.S. Court District judge were read their sentences Monday afternoon. Three months ago, they pled guilty to conspiring to hire illegal aliens to work in their tavern. They hired women to work at barmaid, but many times they were forced to work as prostitutes, a source was told.

The 54-year-old male was sentenced to fifteen months in federal prison. He has no chance for parole. He also received two years under supervision because of the federal human smuggling charges against him.

The 43-year-old female received two years of probation, as well as receiving a sentence of six more months of house arrests, a friend said. The woman could face deportation after serving her time because she is an illegal immigrant.

The couple has three sons together. The sons were at the sentence hearing, in support of their parents. The woman asked the judge to keep her sons in mind when giving her sentences.

U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents arrested the couple. The couple owned the El Centenario Bar, northwest of Mission. The prosecution’s case included testimony from the illegal bar maids in the case against the couple.

The women had been deported when their former bosses plead guilty to the charges. The case shows at least eight women who worked at El Centenario Bar, according to a court reporter. Three of the women were living with the couple in an apartment.

Continue reading "Couple receives months for their role in illegal immigrate smuggling" »

A woman who was featured on America’s Most Wanted was arrested Friday night. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested the 52-year-old woman at Mohegan Sun, a casino in Uncasville, Conn. IEC agents picked her up from the casino floor.

The woman has been on the run since 2006 because she was wanted by New York for conspiracy to engage in human trafficking and interstate transportation of women for prostitution. A reporter was told that she ran a brothel and was being charged with transporting women from other countries to the United States.

American’s Most Wanted had done a feature on her in November 2010. Someone from the casino recognized her as a woman who visited Mohegan Sun often. The person called the show about the sighting.

The women in the brothel would be girls from Korea who had been tricked into prostitution. They were targeted because the women wanted to go to America. When they got to the United States, the girls would owe thousands of dollars and were forced to work in brothels to pay off their debts. The brothels are located on the East Coast, related an insider .

Brothel owners would take the woman’s identification and swear they would turn them into the police if they escaped.

The woman arrested waived her rights to a hearing before a federal judge in Hartford, a spokesperson said on Monday. She will be sent back to New York to face the 2006 arrest charges against her. Her 2006 arrest was IEC’s attempt to put a stop to human trafficking of women in the United States.

Continue reading " America's Most Wanted tip helps put a woman behind bars" »

After a man was arrested for trying to become a prostitute's pimp, some lawyers have begun to question what constitutes a pimp in the first place. According to current California state law, a pimp is a person who encourages others to engage in sex activities for money who are not already doing so. A NYC Criminal Lawyer says this is pandering. While some agree this is an accurate description, in the case of the man convicted of pandering, the question becomes whether he is guilty of pandering in the first place since the woman was already working as a prostitute.
As it turns out, the prostitute was actually a police officer working undercover to catch people trying to buy sexual services. If the laws in California are changed, people trying to recruit those who are already prostitutes may no longer be charged with pandering and may receive a lesser charge which does not include any jail time. Currently, those charged with pandering may be charged with up to three years in prison. Sex crimes charges are typically reserved to those that run brothels or prostitution rings and who are actively trying to get others to become prostitutes.
The man arrested for pandering was not a pimp. He worked as a night janitor for his family's office cleaning company. When he approached the undercover police officer he knew the area that was a known pick-up spot for prostitutes. It is unclear why the man pretended to be a pimp. He may have wanted to start a prostitution ring or was lying to seem more important to the woman. Since his release, the man has been unavailable for comment. Until the disagreement is settled between lawmakers, lawyers and community leaders, additional cases similar to the man's case will be reviewed.
Many lawmakers insist that the laws currently in use such as pandering and solicitation are enough to keep most people who want to go into prostitution or become pimps or madams from doing so. Changing the laws would have little effect and would be a waste of time. The main argument for changes to these laws is the amount of time spent in jail. If the man had been convicted of solicitation instead of pandering, he probably would have received probation instead of jail time. Probation may have included community service, counseling sessions or paying a fine and no time spent in jail.

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