Famous Private Investigator Charged With Blackmail After Sunset Park Prostitute Setup

BROOKLYN, NY — A famous private investigator is himself in the crosshairs of prosecutors for allegedly hiring prostitutes in an attempt to blackmail a relative of a victim of child sex abuse.

Vincent Parco, who once starred in the reality TV show "Parco, P.I.," faces a range of charges after he was indicted Tuesday in Brooklyn Supreme Court.

According to the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, Parco was hired by Samuel Israel, from Borough Park, who is charged with sexually abusing a girl when she was 12 years old. Israel paid Parco $17,000 to compromise a relative of the young victim, the D.A.'s office said.

In December of 2016, Parco and an associate, Tanya Freudenthaler, set up cameras inside of a Sunset Park hotel room, prosecutors said. Freudenthaler lured a family member of the girl to the hotel where they had hired a prostitute to have sex with the person, the D.A.'s office said.

But the recording equipment failed, so they had to try again.

Two days later, they lured the same family member to the hotel. This time there were two prostitutes waiting, and the recording equipment worked, prosecutors said.

The next month, the family member was approached by a stranger wearing a scarf who showed the person a video on a phone of the hotel tryst, according to the D.A.'s office. The stranger said, "Be smart. Stop making trouble" in what the DA said was an attempt to blackmail the possible witness.

Instead, the family member went to the D.A.'s office.

Then in June, a different family member was approached by a stranger and shown cell phone video of the sexual encounter in the hotel room, prosecutors said.

Later that month, authorities found the video on Paco's computer after executing a search warrant, prosecutors said.

Parco and Freudenthaler face charges of prostitution, illegal surveillance and witness tampering.

"These defendants allegedly engaged in an illicit and disturbing scheme in an attempt to obstruct justice," acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "They have now been exposed and I intend to hold them accountable. I would also like to commend the victim and her family for their courage in resisting the alleged extortion and reporting it to my office."

Parco's attorney says he is not guilty.

"Once the facts are fleshed out, it will show a very different picture of what happened," the attorney, Peter Gleason, told The New York Times.

Parco and Freudenthaler are due back in court in October.

Image via Vincent Parco, Youtube