2024-08-05 22:29:20
As the LETA agency was informed by the VP, at the end of July, the 4th Department of the Organized Crime Serious and Serial Crime Combating Department of the Main Criminal Police Department of the VP completed an investigation in the criminal process regarding pimping and maintaining a brothel in a group of persons for the purpose of making a living, human trafficking, as well as the legalization of financial assets obtained through criminal means, if it done on a large scale.
The two suspects – a 53-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman – coordinated the work of the brothel workers for the purpose of making money – controlled the number of customers, determined the price of sexual services and collected a part of the profit obtained in prostitution. The suspects also carried out other activities, ensuring the continuous operation of the brothel, the police said.
Individuals have regularly credited the funds obtained in cash to their bank accounts, thus changing the location and ownership of the criminally obtained funds. In order to hide and mask the criminal origin of financial funds, they are combined with one’s own legitimate income, by purchasing real and movable assets, as well as using criminal funds for real estate repairs and self-consumption.
In the course of the investigation, it was established that one of the suspected persons took advantage of the prostitutes’ dependence on him and their state of vulnerability, taking into account their poverty, need for means of livelihood and addiction to narcotic substances, as well as the circumstances that the persons have no other real or acceptable choice but to submit to sexual for operation.
The identity documents of the prostitutes were kept with the suspect as security for debts. The persons were forced to continue engaging in prostitution, providing sexual services to clients for a fee, giving part of the earned money to the owner of the brothel, thus the persons were involved in a continuous yoke of debt. The mentioned activities were qualified by the police as human trafficking.
VP detained both suspects. The man has already been punished several times for committing particularly serious crimes.
The police stated that during the pre-trial investigation process, sufficient evidence was collected to prosecute the male suspect according to the elements of the criminal offenses provided for in the second part of Article 165, the third part of Article 195, the first part of Article 154.1 and Article 163.1 of the Criminal Law, and to bring the suspected woman to criminal responsibility according to the characteristics of the criminal offenses provided for in the second part of Article 165 and the third part of Article 195 of the Criminal Law.
Seizures were imposed on movable and immovable property for a total amount of more than 120,000 euros.
Initially, the court imposed bail on one suspect, which was later changed to a non-custodial bail.
On July 26, the criminal process was sent to the Multidisciplinary Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for initiation of criminal prosecution.
The State Police reminds that no person is considered guilty until his guilt in committing a criminal offense is proven in accordance with the procedures prescribed by law.
2024-08-05 22:29:20