Politics
4 Charged With Running Prostitution Ring on Long Island
A Suffolk County police officer and a high school teacher are among four people accused of operating brothels, prosecutors said.
Four people, including a police officer and a high school teacher, have been charged with running a prostitution ring that operated two brothels on Long Island over nearly five years.
The brothels were run out of “suites” in a building in Holbrook and a sex-toy store in West Babylon, according to the Suffolk County district attorney, whose office announced the charges on Tuesday.
“It is a sad day in law enforcement when a public servant is arrested,” said Raymond A. Tierney, the district attorney. “The allegations in this indictment describe a long-term pattern of organized criminal activity and a shocking betrayal of public trust.”
The leader of the enterprise, prosecutors said, was Frank Saggio, 60, of West Islip, who was charged with 51 felony counts of promoting prostitution, according to a news release. He was also charged with sex trafficking and enterprise corruption, the release said.
Also indicted were the police officer, George Trimigliozzi, 55, of Islip; the teacher, Steven Arey, 53, also of Islip; and Dana Ciardullo, 32, of North Bellmore. Prosecutors said the three advertised prostitution services, hired people to work at the brothels and collected the proceeds. They were each charged with numerous felony counts of promoting prostitution and with enterprise corruption.
All four defendants have pleaded not guilty, according to court documents. Their lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
