A Massachusetts businessman has been charged in a Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office case for allegedly providing financing and financial advice to an illegal brothel operating in Manhattan, and conspiring with the brothel owner to use the proceeds from the brothel to promote the brothel’s activities.
David Stasiour, 44, was arrested by agents from the DSS, USPIS, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York this morning and will be presented in federal court in Massachusetts later today.
This case arises from a multiple-year-long investigation in which 17 additional individuals have previously been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate the Travel Act. The previously charged individuals have included the owners of a network of at least 10 brothels in Manhattan, and individuals who provided advertising services for these brothels.
The brothels were independently owned but worked cooperatively, and employed prostitutes who typically came to the United States from South Korea pursuant to fraudulently obtained visas or visa waivers. Stasiour allegedly provided financing for one of these brothels, whose owner was previously charged and pled guilty to money laundering conspiracy.
For years, the defendant allegedly helped launder the proceeds of an illegal brothel operation in Manhattan, providing start-up money, ongoing financial advice, and record-keeping services. As alleged, the defendant financially supported and profited from this business that exploited vulnerable women and laundered money.
According to the Complaint, since 2012, DSS, USPIS, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York have been investigating a group of brothels operating in and around New York. Each of the Brothels was independently owned and operated, but the owners of the Brothels worked cooperatively through, among other things, the sharing of approved customer lists and information. Stasiour started out as a customer of the Brothels. In 2013, he provided a co-conspirator with financing to open a brothel, while requiring the co-conspirator to make periodic payments from the Brothel’s proceeds in return for his investment.
The Brothel used a website to advertise the women prostituted in the Brothel, as well as an online aggregator of advertisements to advertise the Brothel. The management of online advertising and payment for this advertising was coordinated by the defendant and CC-1, among others. Stasiour sent multiple emails to CC-1 in which he provided business advice to the Brothel, including advice on how to use online advertising for the Brothel to increase the Brothel’s profits. Stasiour’s emails included spreadsheets that listed him as a Partner in the business and itemized the Brothel’s profits.
Defendant/Respondent: David Stasiour
Criminal Charges: Money Laundering, Financial Support For Manhattan Brothel
City and State: New York
Exact Date: May 24, 2024
Sentence or Outcome: Awaiting Arraignment
Dollar Amounts: None specified
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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