Leaders Of International Prostitution, Money Laundering Ring Arrested

Key members of an international prostitution and money laundering ring, known as the Emperors Club VIP, were arrested Thursday by IRS and FBI agents, prosecutors told WNBC.com.

Mark Brener, Cecil Suwal, Temeka Rachelle Lewis and Tanya Hollander have been charged with violating federal prostitution statutes. Brener and Suwal are also charged with laundering more than $1 million of the proceeds from the illegal operation, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said.

According to court documents obtained by WNBC.com, the Emperors Club was used to connect wealthy male clients with more than 50 prostitutes in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Miami, London and Paris. Fees for the prostitutes ranged from $1,000 to more than $5,500 per hour, officials said.

Brener was the leader while Suwal ran the day-to-day operations of the Emperors Club, officials said. Lewis and Hollander booked clients, investigators told NewsChannel 4.

The criminal complaint states IRS agents discovered that clients made payments for services in cash, American Express charges, wire transfers and money orders beginning in 2004. The payments were made to U.S. banks in the names of front companies set up by Brener and Suwal, including two accounts named "QAT Consulting Group, Inc." and "QAT International, Inc."

Using a Web site to advertise its prostitution services, the Emperors Club displayed pictures of the prostitutes' bodies and ranked them using a scale of one to seven diamonds.

Some clients were offered a "buy-out clause" allowing them direct access to a prostitute without having to use the services of the club, court papers state.

Brener and Suwal face up to 25 years in jail while Lewis and Hollander face five years in jail if convicted, Garcia said.

http://www.wnbc.com/investigations/15515934/detail.html