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One of the eight alleged brothels was located at 182-35 Jamaica Ave., according to the indictment.
By Forum Staff
The fish stinks from the head down.
And that old adage took on a whole new meaning last week after a retired vice detective and seven active duty NYPD police officers were indicted by a grand jury last week for their involvement with a prostitution ring spanning from Queens, to Brooklyn and Nassau.
Former NYPD Vice Detective Ludwig Paz, 51, of Queens has been charged with operating a complex prostitution ring and a gambling enterprise with his wife that also involved seven current members of service and nearly three dozen civilians.
Brothels operated in Queens, Brooklyn and Nassau counties and numerous gambling rooms were set up in beauty salons and other businesses.
Speaking about the case, District Attorney Brown said, “The vast majority of NYPD police officers are honest and dedicated to enforcing and upholding the law… today’s indictments… dishonor the badge. These operations stop today. I want to commend the hard work of the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau and members of my Rackets and Organized Crime and Integrity Bureaus for their hard work in breaking up these illegal industries.”
Another strong voice of condemnation for the police personnel involved is Police Commissioner Paul O’Neill. “These NYPD officers, who swore an oath to uphold ideals greater than themselves, have ruined their own careers and reputations… they have diminished the great work of tens of thousands of other honest and ethical cops”.
Brooklyn South Vice Detective Rene Samaniego, 43, is accused of aiding Paz with both the prostitution ring and the gambling organizations and has been identified as the main defendant.
Sergeant Carlos Cruz, 41, and Detective Giovanny Rojas Acosta, 40, allegedly aided Paz by providing information on law enforcement activities related to prostitution.
Paz, Samaniego, Cruz and Rojas Acosta are all charged with enterprise corruption.
In addition, Sergeants Cliff Nieves, 37, and his brother Steven Nieves, 32, were charged with promoting prostitution and other charges, for allegedly operating a brothel for the sole purpose of hosting a bachelor party.
Police Officer Giancarlo Raspanti is accused of providing Paz with confidential police information in exchange for discounted sex at a brothel and Sergeant Louis Failla is charged in connection with allegedly assisting Paz following a brothel raid.
According to the charges, an investigation began in April 2015, with a tip to the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau from a fellow police officer that active duty police officers and a retired detective were engaged in illegal operations.
Investigators utilized court-authorized wiretaps, surveillance and other investigative techniques to identify the structure and individuals involved in the enterprises.
The head of these enterprises was Paz, who worked with his wife, Arelis Peralta, running the prostitution and gambling ring. Paz is believed to have operated or was partnered with and assisted with the day to day business at seven out of eight brothels.
Paz used his knowledge of NYPD Vice procedures to set up protocols for new prostitution clients. Knowing that detectives could not expose their genitals during their interactions with prostitutes, Paz required the new clients to undress and allow themselves to be fondled to pass the brothel’s security screening. He also used his contacts within the NYPD to thwart raids by paying for confidential police information.
The prostitution ring is alleged to have taken in more than $2 million between August 2016 and September 2017.
Online ads to attract customers and after passing the screenings, clients would be allowed to choose a prostitute and paid anywhere from $40 for 15 minutes of sexual activity up to $160 for a full hour.
Additionally, Paz and his wife Peralta are alleged to have profited from several illegal lottery businesses set up at a deli on Springfield Boulevard and within a beauty salon on 243rd Street, both in Queens, as well as at a beauty salon on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, and other undisclosed locations.
The operations included managers, runners and agents with working offices to place illegal bets on legal lotteries.
