Escort Ring Nailed in the Burbs: Westchester County DA Busts Up “High End” Prostitution Crew

As long as the world’s oldest profession is profitable, the police and prosecutors will continue to go on the offensive to busting up and tearing down escort and prostitution rings. Unfortunately for Kenneth Fuina and Shawana Smith, they were the targets of such an investigation by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office that spanned two years. Now, Fuina and Smith are sitting in a White Plains jail cell on $100,000 bail each and facing the charge of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, a class “D” felony punishable by up to 2 and 1/3 to 7 years in state prison. A third defendant, Genevieve Peattie, was released from jail but is charged with a misdemeanor of Prostitution.

According to reports, it is alleged that Kenneth Fuina and Shawana Smith ran a website for high end call girls charging between $600 to $2000 for one or more hours of “GFE” or a full service sexual encounter otherwise known as “Girl Friend Experience.” The girls were recruited and their services were offered through a website, www.discreetcompanions.moonfruit.com. Once a client contacted Fuina or Smith, it is alleged that the girls were sent out to hotels in Westchester cities such as White Plains, Rye, Rye Brook and Tarrytown.

As a former Manhattan prosecutor who worked on investigations including those relating to Prostitution and Promoting Prostitution, I can say without hesitation that law enforcement takes these crimes very seriously especially if the alleged operation is making significant profits. In fact, individuals charged in these rings often face additional charges that are far more serious than the offenses relating to Prostitution or Escort Services. These crimes can include Money Laundering, Enterprise Corruption and Falsifying Business Records depending on the scope of the criminal activity.

To educate yourself on the law and to prevent yourself from following the same road as these defendants, contact the criminal defense attorneys at Saland Law PC and read our Escort Crime Blog. There is no substitute for knowing your rights and knowing the law to avoid finding yourself in the headlines.

Saland Law PC can be followed on Twitter at DefenseLawyerNY.

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