MANHATTAN U.S. ATTORNEY CHARGES ORGANIZERS AND MANAGERS OF INTERNATIONAL PROSTITUTION RING

MORE THAN $1 MILLION IN ALLEGED PROSTITUTION PROCEEDS LAUNDERED THROUGH TWO FRONT ACCOUNTS

MICHAEL J. GARCIA, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, MARK J. MERSHON, Assistant
Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and PATRICIA J. HAYNES, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigative Division (“IRSCID”), announced today the unsealing of charges against MARK BRENER, a/k/a “Michael,” CECIL SUWAL, a/k/a “Katie,” a/k/a “Kate,” TEMEKA RACHELLE LEWIS, a/k/a “Rachelle,” and TANYA HOLLANDER, a/k/a “Tania Hollander,” for their roles as organizers and managers of an international prostitution and money-
laundering ring called the Emperors Club VIP (the “Emperors Club”). All four defendants were charged with conspiracy to violate federal prostitution statutes; BRENER and SUWAL were also charged with conspiring to launder more than $1 million in illicit proceeds from the prostitution crimes. BRENER, SUWAL, LEWIS, and HOLLANDER were all arrested this morning, and are expected in Manhattan federal court later today for their initial appearances. According to the Complaint unsealed today:

BRENER, SUWAL, LEWIS, and HOLLANDER used the Emperors Club to arrange connections between wealthy male clients and more than 50 prostitutes in, among other places, New York, New York; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; London, England; and Paris, France. The defendants charged the clients fees ranging from $1,000 to more than $5,500 per hour for prostitution services.

The Emperors Club took in more than $1 million in illicit proceeds from its international prostitution business.

It accepted payment in the form of cash, American Express charges, wire transfers, and money orders. To conceal the illegal nature of the business, BRENER and SUWAL received prostitution proceeds in United States bank accounts in the names of front companies, including two accounts in the names of “QAT Consulting Group, Inc.,” and “QAT International, Inc.”

The Emperors Club advertised their prostitution services in part through the use of a website that included photographs of Emperors Club prostitutes’ bodies, with their faces hidden, along with hourly rates for different categories of prostitutes. The Website ranked the prostitutes using a ranking system from one to seven diamonds, and charged hourly rates according to the assigned ranking. According to the Website, the Emperors Club charged $1,000 per hour for a three-diamond prostitute, and $3,100 per hour for a seven-diamond prostitute.

The Website also offered the Emperors Club’s most valued clients “membership” in the “Icon Club,” a status which allowed the clients to access restricted areas of the Website and permitted them to schedule appointments with the most highly-ranked prostitutes, whose fees started at $5,500 per hour. According to the Website, in certain circumstances, the Emperors Club also offered its clients the opportunity to exercise a “buy-out clause,” which permitted them to purchase direct access to one of the Emperors Club’s prostitutes without having to contact the
agency.

BRENER was allegedly the leader of the Emperors Club, with ultimate decision-making authority. He recruited prospective prostitutes, determined how to market the Club’s prostitutes to clients, and resolved problems that arose.

SUWAL was the day-to-day organizer of the Club’s operations. She controlled the Emperors Club bank accounts,
supervised the booking agents, and received applications from the prospective prostitutes.

LEWIS and HOLLANDER were allegedly booking agents for the Club. They took requests from clients and coordinated
meetings with prostitutes over the telephone, and referred issues -2relating to payment to SUWAL.

In connection with today's takedown, the FBI and IRS-CID executed three search warrants on locations connected to the Emperors Club's operations and four seizure warrants for bank accounts containing proceeds of the organization's criminal activities.

BRENER, 62, and SUWAL, 23, both reside in New Jersey; LEWIS, 32, resides in Brooklyn, New York; and HOLLANDER, 36, resides in Rhinebeck, New York. If convicted, the defendants face maximum sentences of 5 years in prison on the count charging conspiracy to violate the federal prostitution statutes; BRENER and SUWAL face additional maximum sentences of 20 years in prison on the money-laundering conspiracy count.

Mr. GARCIA praised the investigative work of the FBI and IRS-CID.

Assistant United States Attorneys BOYD M. JOHNSON III, RITA GLAVIN, and DANIEL STEIN are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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