Prostitution bust

[Kat Kanning]

Hey, prostitution isn't a victimless crime anymore.  You learn something new everyday.   

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/05052005/editoria/40690.htm
Alleged sex club case is growing more serious


When the feds first busted the Danish Health Club in 2004, there were knowing winks, tittering and maybe some butterflies in the stomachs of ex-johns who wondered whether they would be exposed.

But as the investigation continues, we are reminded that prostitution is not a victimless crime and that the operation of a brothel in one of our area towns for more than two decades is not a laughing matter.

On Monday, the Herald broke the news that a man and woman from Revere, Mass., have been indicted in the case for allegedly bringing individuals, including at least one minor, to the Kittery club to have sex for money.

This brings the number of people indicted in the case to five.

Two former Danish Health Club employees have already pleaded guilty.

Russell Pallas, a Manchester man who allegedly acted as the club?s manager, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to transport individuals across state lines with the intent to engage in prostitution.

Maryann Manzoli, widow of Leo Manzoli, the club?s former owner, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money.

And we?re not talking chump change here - we?re talking millions and millions of dollars.

Gary Reiner, a prominent Kittery lawyer and former Town Council chairman, has pleaded not guilty to a host of prostitution-related and money-laundering charges.

Lance Williams and Cheryl Stilwell, whose names appear in an amended indictment, are charged with bringing the underage girl from Massachusetts to Kittery to engage in prostitution.

As the investigation continues, as the feds squeeze Williams and Stilwell to give up what they know in exchange for considerations of leniency, we expect more unpleasant details to emerge. We hope the Kittery Police Department, the agency that licensed all these "massage therapists," is paying attention and will be more rigorous in the future in its investigation of prostitution complaints.

- Portsmouth Herald

[FTL_Ian]

Someone needs to write these idiots a LTE.  I wonder how many of the "massage parlor" clients are cops...  hmm?

Massage Parlors = Licensed, Police Protected Brothels