A reader brought it to my attention
this morning that Melissa and Vincent Lombardo, the owners of
Aphrodite Companions, were both arrested yesterday. Melissa is known
to most as Pamela. In the
distant past, I exchanged numerous emails with Pamela and she was
very nice and respectful, though we found no common ground for
discussion.
Aphrodite
Companions was one more business that faced indictment because of how
they operated. Really they are charged with money laundering that is based on violating the New York law of promoting prostitution by the feds. I'm sort of
surprised that the Travel Act (over the touring escorts) was not thrown in the federal
complaint, but the actual indictment is not filed yet, so this is
still a possibility.
Read
the complaint, which I downloaded in PACER this morning, to
understand why you should never participate in the TER (the erotic
review) game. I have said it before and I'll say it again: TER is
where local and federal agents investigating prostitution
participate. The forums are entrenched with cops, whether you choose
to believe it or not. The complaint and a few other docs:
I dare
you to read that complaint and defend TER to me. At this point, the
Lombardos are being held without bail, though they do have
arraignment in early August - the 1st I believe. They are both better off staying in
custody - that way when they plead to charges, the time served will
be counted. And they will eventually plead to charges in this case.
The
investigator in this case is a NYPD detective. You could bet your
last $ that he's on TER. At any rate, Pamela seemed like a nice woman
to me and I am sorry that this has happened to her. I'd also bet that
there's an escort or two involved. I have read numerous online stories about Aphrodite Companions written by women claiming to have worked there, but have serious doubts about the veractity of each.
I will post an update when the indictment is available - probably within a week or so.
18 comments:
They seem to not want people to talk about it either on there. They keep deleting stuff and dont want people to know the danger.
Yes, I must imagine that you are correct. TER would lose everyone if the people posting knew that they were being tracked by cops and agents. I have never posted on TER and rarely visit the site, but I bet if anyone includes a link to this post or even discusses the Aphrodite Companions case, it would be deleted.
Anyone is welcome to discuss it here
No need to imagine, its 100% true
I'd really like to talk about TER. Sites like this that publish reviews of women have ruined the business and the entire concept is abusive. TER is not alone. Back in my day it was Big Doggie before TER. Really I have so much to say on the topic and a comment couldn't do it justice.
If what I read in the complaint is true, the owners of Aphrodite deserve what they get; however, I can't believe it just because a cop said it in a complaint quoting a sentence from an email. For all we know it was taken out of context and is misleading. Cops lie and cops have agendas. I'd have to see more evidence than a few excerpts of emails. And if you read the complaint, you'd know what part of it I find extremely offensive - the same part that would offend most in this business.
Anyway, if the way the complaint describes this operation is true and this company is considered top-tier, well, it's far past time for change.
Folks from that review site...please read the description of this a bit closer and stop telling everyone to go and read the indictment.
THIS IS NOT THE INDICTMENT. This long document attached here is just the official complaint. If you read what the writer of this blog said they will be putting up the indictment as soon as it becomes available which should be in about a week.
An indictment and an official complaint are two different things. Quit trying to sound so knowledgable about the subject when in the meantime you are calling this the indictment because it's not. In any case I hope more people read this complaint and it is impossible to get the word out since the review site keeps deleting comments about it. Makes me wonder if they have someone from the Feds on their side now. Scary shit.
Thank you - I have no clue where the discussion is (haven't looked on TER), but you are absolutely correct ----- This is the Complaint that is linked in the post (and the Docket Report and Detention Order) and we are waiting to see the indictment in the future - usually it follows a complaint within days to a week or so.
If you read the Complaint, the detective states he is not including all of the evidence and situations and was making the affidavit (complaint) first to get a warrant for the emails, which tells me that he received the emails quoted in the Complaint from a different source. He is also saying that the TER links on the Aphrodite website to TER profiles discussing explicit acts offered and/or reviews that included explicit acts is enough to pursue the business owners and is proof of promoting prostitution. Obviously he already had complete access to all financial accounts and records.
I suspect that there will be additional charges in the indictment.
One of these days, and I can see that coming soon, that the owners of TER (The Eritic Review), ECCIE, et al, will be charged as well in these type of cases. To me, they are just as culpable, if not more, than the photoshop lady in the Classy case.
Good point. But I consider TER way more culpable than the Photoshop lady in the Classy DC case - I considered Jennifer Churchill innocent. The following excerpt from the Complaint invites TER into this case and if it doesn't, well, it's only because the feds want them to continue existing. From page 9, #11:
"Additionally, Aphrodite has developed a relationship with a content administrator within the TER community. In exchange for free sex with Aphrodite prostitutes, this individual posts inflated positive reviews of certain prostitutes and negative reviews of prostitutes who are no longer associated with Aphrodite, but instead with competing agencies."
Pattern or rogue administrator?
TER has eliminated or otherwise suppressed all discussion regarding the Aphrodite complaint. Yet they allowed extensive discussion about other agencies travails. I guess we know now who they are in bed with.
;-)
If the Feds could bring in a TER or an ECCIE, P411, Datecheck as a co-defendant, then they could strike a serious blow to the escort business with one case. This could be their silver bullet.
While I do realize that the system is as crude over on ECCIE, I don't see the connection in this case. Also, I don't consider these people participants in "the escort business," as I define it. Most of the TER people are sleazy and crude as is evident by the acronyms attributed to each and the fact that clients (johns in this case) knowingly make appointments with them. As bad or worse than a crack-addicted street hooker and under the guise of call girl or escort.
A former escort responded in a comment to a post on my other blog a while back --- look at comment #3 under this post:
http://accusedmadam.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-children-of-tomorrow.html
Don't bother reading the post - it was one of my more depressing, but the comment says it all. I do know who made the anonymous comment - her mention of meet and greets gave it away for me. She was a truly classy lady and escort. Like her, I miss a world that used to be.
I wonder if they will go after any of the clients?
I think some were listed by their TER handles in the complaint.
I see where TER killed off the handles of the reviewers listed in the complaint and the reviews they wrote. Makes me think that TER is playing defense.
Anyone find a link to the indictment yet?
No indictment has been filed yet, so the answer is that there is no link. I do intend to post late tonight or early tomorrow with some updated info.
Did only the owners go down, or did several of the girls/escorts also get caught ?
As far as I am aware, only the owners were arrested. However, if you read the complaint, you'll see that the detective on the case tracked down a couple of the escorts before writing it. They have all the emails from the Aphrodite accounts, so no doubt that they'll locate the rest of the escorts and perhaps even some clients. It's unlikely that any escorts or clients will be arrested in the case and as always, they will make statements and be willing to testify if the owners opt for a trial, which won't happen anyway.
Now you have my summary of the entire situation. I'm sure there will be more info when an indictment is filed.
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