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Escort Service Co-Owner, Manager Plead Innocent

By Katie Burford, Journal Staff Writer

Two men pleaded innocent in state district court Monday to charges of racketeering and extortion stemming from an investigation into an escort service that has locations in four major cities including Albuquerque.

The judge, however, denied a request by prosecutors that the business, which reportedly continues to operate in Albuquerque under a new name, be shut down while the case is pending.

"How can I do that?" Judge Albert S. "Pat" Murdoch asked prosecutor Mark Drebing. "(Defense attorney Michael Davis) said it's a legitimate business."

Murdoch said that it would be different if the business the men were engaged in was drug trafficking because then it could be presumed that the company was not legitimate.

The company, called Yavapai Enterprises Inc., is based in Arizona and operates escort services under various names in Seattle, Dallas, Phoenix and Albuquerque, according to a police report of the investigation conducted by Albuquerque vice detectives.

Appearing for arraignment Monday morning were Yavapai co-owners.

Eight employees and the two owners of Yavapai were indicted last month on charges stemming from the police vice unit's investigation, which included two undercover sting operations. During the stings, detectives posing as customers called and met with escorts.

In one case, the escorts and bodyguards, who would wait outside the hotel room but listen by radio, were arrested when the detective believed that he was about to be punched by one of the bodyguards.

Detectives also interviewed customers of Anytime Escorts, the name of Yavapai's Albuquerque service, who said that escorts took their money without delivering any services. If the customer objected, the drivers, or bodyguards, would "come in and intimidate the John," sometimes getting physical, the police report said.

The company's policy, the report said, was to lead customers into believing they would receive sex.

Instead, prosecutors allege, the customers were forced to hand over their cash under the threat of harm.

During the arraignment, Deputy District Attorney Drebing said that he had received information that Yavapai was bringing in $100,000 a month.

Robert Cooper, an Albuquerque attorney representing one of the clients, disputed the estimate.

"They don't make anywhere near that kind of cash," he said.

Bond for Cooper's client was raised from $10,000 to $50,000. His parner's bond remained at $10,000.

Yavapai co-owners declined to comment on their cases.

Attorney Cooper said his client "looks forward to the opportunity to defend himself in court."

An additional co-owner of Yavapai was also scheduled to be arraigned Monday but his lawyer, William Foreman, said that he couldn't make it because his wife had to have emergency gall bladder surgery.

Foreman, during a discussion with Judge Murdoch about his client's bond, said that his client was on probation for a conviction on kidnapping for extortion.  Murdoch set the bond at $30,000 and his arraignment was reset for May 29.

Foreman told the court the defense would "vigorously defend" the charges against his client.

Also charged in the case are Lawrence Green, 24; Casey Connell, 20; Edward Rockey, 21; Jennifer Boike, 29; Layla Demars, 23; Kevin Leigh, 24; and Nancy Lucero, 24.

According to court records, Connell, Green, Lucero, Boike and Demars have entered innocent pleas to charges of extortion, robbery and conspiracy to commit extortion.

Leigh, who faces charges of attempted extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion and possession of a controlled substance, was scheduled for arraignment April 23 but failed to appear and a warrant for his arrest was issued.

Rockey's case file was not available on Monday.

Original publication date: May 1, 2001
Copyright 2001 Albuquerque Journal. All Rights Reserved.