NYC Prostitution Ring Led By Retired Queens Vice Detective: DA

QUEENS, NY — Authorities accused a retired NYPD vice detective from Queens of running the sprawling prostitution and gambling ring that led to Wednesday's arrests of seven active-duty cops.

Ludwig Paz, 51, was indicted as the ringleader of the large, illicit operation that involved several brothels in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, as well as an illegal gambling scheme set up in businesses such as beauty salons, the Queens District Attorney's Office said.

Paz allegedly used his knowledge of the Police Department to insulate the scheme from police raids, prosecutors said. A total of 49 people — including three police sergeants and nearly three dozen civilians — have been charged as a result of the three-year investigation led by the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau.

"The vast majority of NYPD police officers are honest and dedicated to enforcing and upholding the law. However, today’s indictments of one former detective and seven current police officers of the NYPD dishonor the badge," Queens DA Richard Brown said in a statement.

Paz was aided in the operation by his wife, Arelis Peralta, and Rene Samaniego, a Brooklyn vice detective, prosecutors said. Six other current cops have been charged, according to the NYPD: sergeants Carlos Cruz, Cliff Nieves and Louis Failla; police officers Steven Nieves and Giancarlo Raspanti; and Det. Giovanny Rojas-Acosta.

Paz was allegedly involved in the day-to-day operations of seven of the scheme's eight brothels, located on Liberty and Onderdonk avenues in Queens; Gates, Foster and Fourth avenues and 42nd Street in Brooklyn; and Front Street in Hempstead, Long Island, the DA's office said.

The ring attracted customers with online ads and raked in more than $2 million in a 13-month period, prosecutors said. Paz allegedly set up a screening process for new johns based on his knowledge of NYPD operations that helped it evade police takedowns.

Detectives can't expose their genitals when interacting with prostitutes, so Paz would have new clients undress and get fondled to get through the brothel's security, the DA's office said. They could then pick a prostitute and pay from $40 for 15 minutes of sexual activity to $160 for an hour, according to prosecutors.

Paz also paid for confidential police information through his NYPD contacts to thwart raids, prosecutors said. Cruz and Rojas-Acosta are accused of tipping off Paz about prostitution-related law enforcement activities, and Raspanti allegedly provided confidential information in exchange for discounted sex.

Paz and Peralta also profited from illicit gambling at beauty salons, a deli and other locations in Brooklyn and Queens where illegal bets were placed on legal lotteries, the DA's office said.

The Internal Affairs Bureau began investigating the alleged ring in April 2015 after getting a tip from a fellow NYPD cop, officials said. The probe used a range of techniques, including wiretaps and surveillance, to uncover the scheme's structure and who was involved, the DA's office said.

Police Commissioner James O'Neill said the NYPD would not tolerate such sleazy behavior.

"These NYPD officers, who swore an oath to uphold ideals greater than themselves, have ruined their own careers and reputations," O'Neill said in a statement. "More importantly, they have diminished the great work of tens of thousands of other honest and ethical cops."

(Lead image: Photo by Kevin Foy/Shutterstock)