Pittsburgh, PA - A former Pitt football star and NFL first-round draft pick has pleaded guilty to helping run a million-dollar prostitution ring out of his parents' Monroeville home.
Bob Buczkowski, 43, ran an escort service along with his girlfriend, Amy Schifano, [pictured] police said. Buczkowski provided the muscle and Schifano was the madam, the state Attorney General's office said.
Buczkowski pleaded guilty Monday in Allegheny County court to two counts of promoting prostitution, six counts of possessing and dealing cocaine and several other charges. He agreed to testify against others charged in the ring, if their cases go to trial.
He will be sentenced Sept. 5 by Common Pleas Judge John A. Zottola.
Tom Ceraso, Buczkowski's lawyer, declined comment pending sentencing.
Schifano, 31, of Plum, will plead guilty to prostitution charges at her hearing next week, her attorney, Patrick Thomassey, said Tuesday.
A second man charged in the ring pleaded guilty yesterday.
Leonard Rini, 32, of Plum, pleaded guilty to delivery and possession of drugs, promoting prostitution and criminal conspiracy. Zottola paroled Rini after sentencing him to jail time and ordered him to three months of house arrest followed by a year of probation.
Schifano and Buczkowski placed ads in the adult classified section of the City Paper to solicit customers throughout Allegheny County, authorities said. Employment ads in the same paper were used to recruit prostitutes to their escort service, Buckwild Entertainment, which did business as B.A.G. Enterprises Inc., according to an indictment from a statewide grand jury.
The escort service received between 100 and 300 phone calls a day from February 2003 to June 2005, generating about $1 million in that span.
Schifano and Buczkowski used cell phones to arrange drug sales, and undercover agents bought cocaine from the pair 11 times, authorities said.
Customers frequently were instructed to meet the women at hotels or one of two apartments maintained by Schifano -- in the South Side and on Mt. Washington. Sometimes, the prostitutes were driven to the customers, and Buczkowski often tagged along to provide protection.
Buczkowski, a defensive lineman who made ESPN's list of "Biggest First-Round Busts," was selected by the Los Angeles Raiders as the 24th pick in the first round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He went on to play for the Phoenix Cardinals and Cleveland Browns before he was cut by the Seattle Seahawks in August 1991.
Back story: September 29, 2005:Amy Schifano, 29, of Plum, and Bob Buczkowski, 41, of Monroeville -- ran an escort service called Buckwild Entertainment, also known as B.A.G. Enterprises.
Schifano was the madam and recruited prostitutes for the operation, while Buczkowski accompanied the women to their appointments at Monroeville hotels and served as muscle, Corbett said.
Also, Schifano and Buczkowski were involved in cocaine sales, and people connected to the escort service delivered the drugs, Corbett said.
Buczkowski was a standout on the defensive line at Gateway High School and the University of Pittsburgh. In 1986, he was a No. 1 draft pick of the Los Angeles Raiders.
Schifano and Buczkowski are each charged with possession and delivery of a controlled substance; promoting prostitution; criminal conspiracy; and participating in a corrupt organization.
They were arraigned before District Justice Susan Evashavik in Forest Hills and declined to comment outside the courtroom.
