New Tork City- The alleged ringleaders of a multimillion- dollar cyberprostitution ring ran as many as a dozen Internet escort services, and the feds are trying to determine if the profits were laundered through their popular Brooklyn restaurant, the Daily News has learned.
When federal agents busted NYElites last week, they unraveled a web of Internet escort services that claimed to offer Penthouse models and high-profile porn stars - as well as "college cuties and girls-next-door" - as dates for big-money johns.
A host of other Manhattan-based escort services, using names like Exotica 2000, Ce Soir, Night Flight Escorts and Camelot, share the same Manhattan addresses and phone numbers as NYElites.
Federal Customs agents have expanded the case to 22 other cities. "There will be more search warrants and more arrrests," a source close to the probe told the Daily News.
In its Helpful Hints, the NYElites Web site advised: "If you are of high profile or fear that your spouse or business associate may find out, we suggest you pay in cash or get a cash advance on your credit card. This way you'll have no explaining to do."
But some well-heeled johns are no doubt doing just that.
When the feds raided NYElites' headquarters at 12 E. 32nd St. they seized a ledger one investigator called "the holy grail" of the probe. It contains "a list of male names, believed to be client names" and how much they paid with credit card slips, and E-mails detailing travel arrangements.
The investigation is spearheaded by money laundering experts with the Eldorado Task Force in the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division.
The NYElites ring was a "large organization and national in scope, involving about 200 prostitutes with between 30 and 40 active on any given day," said Martin Ficke, chief of immigration and customs enforcement in New York.
Between 2001 and 2004, the escort service allegedly raked in $5.5 million in credit card payments alone. "We expect the actual amount to be much higher since NYElites encouraged cash payments," Ficke said.
The feds have charged Elena Trochtchenkova, 40, and her 45-year-old paramour, Rady Abdel Salem Abbassy, also known as Rody Alexander, as the ringleaders. If convicted they face 30 years in prison and an $11 million fine.
Abbassy, an Egyptian, was jailed because he allegedly is in the U.S. illegally after being deported for a 1985 marijuana conviction. Trochtchenkova, born in Ukraine, was released after posting her $1 million home in Forest Hills Gardens as bail.
Also charged were Valerie Hairston and Nancy Kahja, who allegedly dispatched escorts and maintained a card file with their "pictures, physical descriptions and a description of the sexual activities" they would engage in, according to court papers.
Hairston and Kahja were released on $100,000 bond each.
"This was a business that operated legally as an escort service," said Trochtchenkova's attorney, Isabelle Krischner. "If some of these women did other things, they did it on their own and by their own choice."
NYElites' elaborate Web site was taken off-line Wednesday.
When it was up and running, a busty brunette in high heels and black see-through slip welcomed prospective clients to peruse dozens of seductively posed escorts, complete with pictures, physical measurements and dates of availability.
The women worked one- or two-week tours in various cities around the country, according to the criminal complaint.
Due to "the wide array of packages and services, all pricing is discussed over the phone," the Web site advised. The feds say rates varied from $500 to $1,500 an hour. The hookers split the money 50-50 with NYElites, according to court papers.
Court papers did not name any of the alleged hookers, and it was not clear whether any would be charged. Three of the escorts who allegedly turned tricks for NYElites have turned states' evidence.
Federal agents launched the investigation after receiving a tip about the operation from a foreign law-enforcement agency that suspected women smuggled into the country were forced into prostitution with NYElites, Ficke said. However, he said agents found no evidence to support that allegation.
Public filings show Trochtchenkova to be president of the escort services Exotica Productions and Ce Soir of New York. She also is listed as CEO of E.R.A. International Group, which owns Barracuda Seafood Restaurant, a Bay Ridge eatery noted for fresh fruit martinis.
A local weekly newspaper account last year also identified Rody Alexander as one of the owners of the Barracuda and noted that the Third Ave. restaurant had undergone an expensive renovation.
Federal agents "are seeking to determine whether the profits passed through the restaurant," a source close to the case said.
The feds believe Trochtchenkova and Abbassy laundered prostitution profits through "at least 15 shell companies," Ficke said.
Court papers identify only two: London Fox and Royal Papyrus, which allegedly were used to pay hookers. The businesses share the same address as NYElites.
"There is no doubt that some of the money was sent outside the United States," the source told The News.
Although the ring apparently recruited cyberhookers from the $1.7 billion-a-year national porn industry, NYElites' also invited prospective escorts to apply through a form on its Web site.
Applicants were required to submit photos. "Do not send nudes," the site warned. "They will not be posted."
The escort service Web site provided a calendar showing which women were available on what dates in various cities. "All of our girls travel," it proclaimed.
"Arrangements can be made for those who would like one of NYElites' escorts to accompany them ... be it the rolling hills of Tuscany, the deep blue of the Mediterranean, isolated Tahiti, the fantastic islands of the Caribbean or anywhere ...."
NYElites apparently arranged travel through its own agency, Elite Travel, which shared the same phone number as the escort service.
"All particulars can be fulfilled by Elite Travel," the Web page said, including "airline arrangements, hotel accommodations, car rentals, nightlife events, tourist attractions and more."
The escort service also booked airline tickets and hotels through Hotwire. The Internet-based travel agency was said to be cooperating with the feds.
NYElite clients were expected to book at least three days in advance. "We accept all major credit cards," the online blurb said. "But most of our longstanding clientele pays in cash."
