(credit: CBS 2)
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Federal authorities say they’ve busted a global underground immigration ring, and at the center of the scheme — strip clubs across Manhattan.
The feds carried out boxes of evidence from one Midtown strip club during an early Wednesday morning raid, dubbed “Operation Dancing Brides.”
They said the club — Cheetah’s — is one of several at the center of an underground immigration ring that stretches from Times Square to the heart of Russia.
“Today’s arrests bring to an end a long-standing criminal enterprise operated by colluding organized crime entities that profited wildly through a combination of extortion and fraud,” ICE HSI Special Agent-in-Charge James T. Hayes, Jr. told 1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa. “As alleged, the defendants controlled their business and protected their turf through intimidation and threats of physical and economic harm. Today, that business model has been extinguished.”
1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa with the details of the 10-year operation
Investigators said Russian and Italian mobsters were working together in the elaborate scheme to bring Russian and Eastern European women into the United States and funnel them to strip clubs to work as exotic dancers.
“Control of the labor so to speak on the organized criminal entities from Russia and control of the marketplace with respect to the Bonanno and Gambino crime families,” Hayes told CBS 2′s Kathryn Brown.
More than two dozen men were arrested Wednesday, described as “ringleaders” of the operation.
Hayes said these men would pay people to “marry” the women on paper, making them legal. Then they would use the women as their personal profit machines.
“Per dancer, per night could have been hundreds of dollars,” Hayes said.
It’s unclear whether the women involved knew what they were getting into. The feds expect at least some will face charges.
However, Sonia Ossorio, the executive director of the National Organization of Women, said she suspects many of them were taken advantage of.
“They come here, they don’t speak the language. They don’t have a network of anyone and they’re surrounded by very scary intimidating thugs,” Ossorio said.
WCBS 880′s Irene Cornell On The Case
As federal teams cast a wide net around strip clubs and their owners attorney David Carlebach, who represents the Cheetah club, insisted his client’s hands are clean.
“There is absolutely no ‘La Cosa Nostra’ as you say, connection,” Carlebach said.
Those arrested have been charged with a variety of crimes — from visa and marriage fraud to racketeering and extortion.
Authorities said at least 150 marriages were arranged through the operation. Those involved in that have also been arrested.
Sound off on the arrests below.
136 Comments
So, how does this differ from some computer programmer from India, with a work visa, working in the US for lower wages.
I call this “INSIDE-OUT SOURCING”
December 1, 2011 at 7:52 am
I was thinking the same thing. All these poor brown savages from India that work for 2/3 of what I get, when all they pay me is $40k per year….or well, lets say that they would pay me $40k per year and I would have a job if these poor lil brown savages did not take all the tech support jobs. Hahaha, well, lets let the poor brown savages keep the jobs… I am going to look for another industry that the brown savages have not learned enough to take with their cute lil H1b and H1S visas.
December 1, 2011 at 11:25 am
Not ONE picture of a stripper. What a gyp!
December 1, 2011 at 7:47 am
We the readers demand pictures!
December 1, 2011 at 8:01 am
This is what the Mafia is down to? Running strippers/hookers? Hundreds of dollars per night? Gulliani did a good job. This is low end ‘organized crime’. Laughable.
December 1, 2011 at 8:14 am
Hey, after the government took over the numbers rackets, what else were they going to do?
December 1, 2011 at 9:53 am
Your blaming Guilliani, what was that a decade ago. I suppose for every problem you just dial back to the last Republican in charge and blame them???
You’re a jerk…
and I want pictures how can I beleive any of this wihout scanily clad pictures of hot European pole dnacers….
December 1, 2011 at 10:36 am
The reference to Giulliani was a positive one, I believe. The post was poking fun at how far the wiseguys have fallen, and stated that the Mayor had done a good job in going after them years ago.
I don’t think the writer was being sarcastic…
December 1, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Ha ha I know. first thing I looked for!
December 1, 2011 at 10:44 am
Is that Robert DeNiro in the VAN! SWEEEET, get his autograph.
December 1, 2011 at 7:45 am
There are a lot of unhappy NYPD cops today
December 1, 2011 at 7:42 am
THOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY AND OR SODOMY, PERIOD!
and THOU SHALL NOT TELL LIES EITHER, PERIOD! (The Holy Bible).
If you do either of these, you will end up in deep **** for sure.
December 1, 2011 at 6:05 am
Uh, right. Everyone pay attention. The christian is making up commandments and threatening us again.
December 1, 2011 at 9:23 am
And yet priests of “faith” are still molesting young children..
December 1, 2011 at 9:38 am
So are the Hasids and Muslims. They just hide it better, like cults.
December 1, 2011 at 10:42 am
good call…shut up, Mike.
December 1, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Stupid cheap shot.
December 1, 2011 at 10:51 am
Let us not forget about the fooseball coaches!
December 1, 2011 at 10:56 am
go back to sleep idiot
December 1, 2011 at 5:24 am
The Gambino family is connected to Yahoo. Yahoo allows them to run sex porn bots in Yahoo Chatrooms. There are actually more Yahoo porn bots than actual chatters.
Yep. Yahoo is connected to this kind of sex ring.
December 1, 2011 at 3:57 am
Agreed…total pigs.
December 1, 2011 at 2:42 am
Dr. Alan Sabrosky, former Director of Studies at the U.S. Army War College, on audio. The video details evidence on why it is 100% certain that Israel did 9/11 and the official story is a pack of lies.
December 1, 2011 at 2:24 am
Hi Building,
How are you connecting a story on a mafia ring to September 11th and saying it’s all Israel’s fault is beyond me? Sounds like you got some of your noodles messed up with a different news coverage. Go back to sleep!
December 1, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Oh I see. But Mexicans well help them out 24/7. Jackasses.
December 1, 2011 at 2:17 am
I support all these single mothers- one dollar at a time.
December 1, 2011 at 2:04 am
LOL , right there with you
December 1, 2011 at 5:19 am
And the college students don’t forget the college students we cannot neglect supporting higher education too!
December 1, 2011 at 3:28 pm
I feel so much safer now.
December 1, 2011 at 12:51 am
It’s not about you, it’s about the young women being traded like cattle.
December 1, 2011 at 10:44 am
According to PETA no strippers where hurt in the raid and they are now being housed in humain cages awaitng for their owners to pick them up. Gloria Alred was outraged.
December 1, 2011 at 12:13 am
Human traffickers should all be castrated sans meds and burned at the stake.
December 1, 2011 at 12:05 am
…careful, that could be construed as anti-semitism.
December 1, 2011 at 10:42 am
how is that dummy? show some proof of your illogical statement or GTFOH you bloody hatchet wound.
December 1, 2011 at 1:09 pm
You can start your search by googling “Pimping in the Promised Land”…. to start your search. You can also try Jewish Global Sex Trade.
December 1, 2011 at 1:31 pm
I’ve wanted to marry every girl I’ve ever seen at Cheetah’s
November 30, 2011 at 11:04 pm
But nothing done about the 30-40 million illegal aliens from Mexico prancing around the country for the last 40 years that kill on average 10-20 people a day and have drained all the social services to nothing.
Anyone else sick of this stuff? http://911essentials.com
November 30, 2011 at 11:24 pm
careful Fanny! speaking the truth may soon get you indefinite detention without trial! look here.. http://www.infowars.com/indefinite-detention-bill-set-for-final-vote-thursday/
November 30, 2011 at 11:37 pm
This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector. ~ Plato
December 1, 2011 at 12:51 am
you’re linking to a an Alex Jones “article” jesus you’re a retard
December 1, 2011 at 1:08 pm
30 millions illegals killing 10 people a day, that would mean that they would be killling 300 million a day, which would mean that the entire population of the United States would cease to exist in one day.
December 1, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Jewish born “Don” Semion Mogilevich look it up on Wikipedia is the boss of the Russian OR JEWISH Mafia. Italians and Jewish gangsters working together. The problem is the Russian or Jewish Mafia is enslaveing Eastern European Woman. The Italians should be aware of who they are dealing with.
November 30, 2011 at 10:59 pm
I had to look through the comments just to see if anyone else knew what was not being reported. Good Job on keeping up. I am sure they were Jewish and they drug the Italians along in the story just to cover it up. Israel has the same problems with the importation of Eastern European women for the Jewish slave trade.
December 1, 2011 at 1:14 pm
The National Organization of Women (NOW) is a joke, just like the feminized US is today.
November 30, 2011 at 10:56 pm
***The National Organization of Women (NOW) is a joke, just like the feminized US is today.***
I’m a woman, and I agree.
December 1, 2011 at 7:10 am
Very true! I’m a woman too.
December 4, 2011 at 4:16 am
They’ve done a great job on the ‘relgion of peace”.
No issues with women not being able to drive, able to vote, able to own propery or being beat like a rug if they irritate their husband somehow and now they want to import this sharia law to our country. .
Very effective on addrssing these issues.
December 1, 2011 at 7:55 am
The ladies are of legal age, I presume. They all now have green cards. They are dancing, not hooking, I presume. It is not an underage Hooking operation.
Many eastern euro ladies do fiancee visas and don’t hook or dance.
No mention of drugs. No mention of underage.
How much did US spend on this 10 year investigation?
November 30, 2011 at 10:49 pm
Millions.
One dollar at a time
November 30, 2011 at 11:48 pm
Wow, Italians and Russians working together. The Russian Mafia by the way in Jewish.
November 30, 2011 at 10:48 pm
Yup, came here to say this. “Russian” organized crime is mostly Jewish.
November 30, 2011 at 11:51 pm
Has anyone seen my mail order wife from Russia? Man I miss her!
November 30, 2011 at 10:07 pm
Ten year operation to arrest two dozen perps? Seems like the feds were really keeping an eye on this case. Your tax dollars at work, America.
November 30, 2011 at 9:49 pm
keep the hot russian chicks out but let all the fat dumpy mexicans in the country free at will. it took the mob to come up with this one? I could of done better than this when i was 9
November 30, 2011 at 9:45 pm
There is a deliberate policy to “brown” amerika and you can’t do that with white Europeans. There is a war against white European nations and the gelded men do nothing. Shalom
December 1, 2011 at 8:16 am
This is another show but we know that it’s still all about competition in the Big Apple. The Chinese and Mexican illegal immigrants have been complaining. LOL
November 30, 2011 at 9:41 pm
When owning strippers is outlawed, only outlaws will own strippers! Defend your Constitutional right to keep and bare strippers!
November 30, 2011 at 8:54 pm
Amazing how many morons still support the Loser In Chief. Do nothing, know nothing idiot Liberals. The real crime is that this ilk can vote. And they do. So be advised.
November 30, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Amazing hoiw a story about strippers turns into a comment about liberals!
You lost your mind man! Seriously, time to check out of this world if 100% of your lie is thinking negatively about people who think differntly that you.
If this was a story about barbie dolls, you would tie it to Obama and liberals……..everything in your pathetic life is about hate towards a fake enemy your mental masters have you posting about on a daily basis!
December 1, 2011 at 4:20 am
Mr. Pot, meet Mr. Kettle.
December 1, 2011 at 6:52 am
So drugs and illegal Mexican pour across the borders while the ATF is shipping machine guns to narco-terrorists and the feds are powerless to stop it.
But they’re all over the hot babe trafficking. THAT one, they got covered.
November 30, 2011 at 8:52 pm
I saw Obama at the club at least three times in the last week. He was wearing a big chunky gold medallion that read “What, me worry?”
November 30, 2011 at 8:28 pm
I saw you in the future, with a gun in one hand and your family dead from you pulling the trigger!
Obama? Seriously you bring OBAMA into EVERYTHING in your life………….you lost your friggen mind dude! Time to check out of this world before you shoot your family!
December 1, 2011 at 4:22 am
No, I saw Obama selling guns to Mexico to kill that guy’s family, then allowing Holder to skate…
You are right, Obama golfs, he has no interest in strip clubs from what I can see. Too much time with the unrepentant terrorists…etc.
December 1, 2011 at 9:14 am
so many right-wing losers on here trying to bray like donkeys about Obama. He has nothing to do with this. Crack a book sometime and learn what communism and socialism, before you try to use big words and concepts.
November 30, 2011 at 8:03 pm
How’s that third grade education working out for you Dung?
You must be one of those “grammar doesn’t matter” communists.
November 30, 2011 at 8:31 pm
communism and socialism have never worked anywhere it just destroys hard working peoples lives or even worse puts them in the poor house. capitalism is king and always will be. obama wants to socialize this country but he wont be able to because his stupid ass will be fired next november
November 30, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Shaddup, OWS moron.
November 30, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Communism only killed 100,000,000 people in the last century, I agree let’s give it more time to work.
December 1, 2011 at 8:50 am
The reason why we are so worried about Obama is that we KNOW how his wife got those big knuckles on her arms, and it is NOT as first thought, it is NOT due to her dragging her hands on the floor and hanging around the White House like an Orangutan. NO. That is not it. The reason why is because she was a stripper, and she was swinging from the poles all day like an Orangutan…and that is the difference.
The reason why the girls were rounded up was because Moochelle Obama’s Orangutan Hanging CD/DVD/Tape on getting fit as a fiddle has not hit the stores for Christmas yet and they were afraid that these white skinned heathens were going to tip off the crowds.
Moochelle Obama almost tipped off the crowds at the White House through her contstant attacks on the Rose Garden…she likes to eat the flowers. OOPS!
December 1, 2011 at 11:39 am
you mafia guys need to wise up. Next time you run a criminal enterprise, just call yourself the new black panthers, you’ll get a pass.
November 30, 2011 at 7:53 pm
these comments are disgusting. these women will do anything to get to freedom and those men used them as slaves. what if it was your daughter. not so funny anymore ey?
November 30, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Absolutely. All the smug little cutsy comments probably makes them feel like they are someone. If these criminals are guilty of forcing these women into anything, and I mean anything, then they are being treated like slaves. Anyone attempting to act as a slave master needs their rotten ass locked up until they are too old to even think about playing pimp again. So old when they get out of prison that the only thing they look forward to is tomorrow. Truly disgusting and despicable human beings. Ruining the lives of young girls for a few pieces of silver.
November 30, 2011 at 9:25 pm
What about Obama’s drunk driving illegal immigrant Uncle Omar? Oh, that’s right. The laws only apply to Obama’s political enemies, just like in a communist dictatorship.
November 30, 2011 at 7:18 pm
what about Bush’s drunk and disorderly daughters during his office run? Oh yea forgot they existed..
November 30, 2011 at 8:35 pm
Donkey,
First off, Bush’s daughters were in college, you didn’t drink in college?
Secondly, Bush’s daughters have nothing to do with illegal or legal immigration,where this article and Obama’s uncle do.
See what Mike did there is take two separate but similar stories and combine them to make a joke. Think it through next time.
November 30, 2011 at 9:56 pm
President Obama, admitted coke head vs. George Bush’s teenage daughters’… most of us would rather have two drunk sixteen year old girls running the country at this point, they’d do a much better job than this joke we have now.
December 1, 2011 at 9:00 am
Someone ought to beat it over to the jail with a tape recorder and ask him where his nephew was born.
November 30, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Mike,
You lost your mind dude!
What in the hell does this have to do with Obama.
What in the world would your Uncle’s Sanity have to do with your own INSANITY?
You are a mental MIDGET! You waste your time and energy to post something about OBAMA in every story in the world! It could be a story about jesus in a apple core and you would bring up OBAMA……………….It could be a story about a train derailment and you would Bring up OBAMA………….It could be a story about your Dad being arrested for abusing you as a child…………….And you would bring up OBAMA!
You are a low life, get off the anti-obama CRACK beforer you turn a gun on your own family!
December 1, 2011 at 4:29 am
The Mafia is involved in Strip Clubs? I find that very hard to beleive.
November 30, 2011 at 7:16 pm
Yawn
November 30, 2011 at 7:06 pm
I wan’t “Stripper Reparations”, dammit!
November 30, 2011 at 6:48 pm
Doing the lap dance work American women won’t do.
November 30, 2011 at 6:40 pm
It was a strip club bust?
November 30, 2011 at 6:25 pm
“Leave the strippers – take the canolis.”
November 30, 2011 at 6:23 pm
““There is absolutely no ‘La Cosa Nostra’ as you say, connection,” Carlebach said”.
I guess what he’s trying to say is that it’s ok because they aren’t connected to a “known unknown”.
November 30, 2011 at 6:23 pm
That guy looks like Bobby D.
November 30, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Stripperweb dot com rocks. Strippers are hot!
November 30, 2011 at 6:03 pm
This is white slavery. Russian and Italian mobsters should be ashamed of themselves.
The Aryan Brotherhood should take these rats out in prison.
Good riddance….
November 30, 2011 at 6:00 pm
you can’t be this dumb can you? The “aryan” brotherhood pimp out their fat wives and children.
December 1, 2011 at 1:10 pm
they will be back in 24hours
November 30, 2011 at 5:55 pm
Thanks Govt! Keep running in the illegal drugs from Afghanistan and letting Dyncorp run child kidnapping rings, but please stop this!
November 30, 2011 at 5:20 pm
now that they took away all the hot blond russian strippers, only the ugly american strippers will be left
November 30, 2011 at 5:18 pm
They overlook the biggest mafia ring of them all–the US Congress & the Executive Branch. Where else can one lie to the people, take money by force (taxes), and then use that money as they see fit in offering the best perks to their constituents in exchange for their re-election. If having a prostution ring run out his house wasn’t embarassing enough to make him quit, you have to wonder what motivated Barney Frank to finally retire after all these years for a pension covered life on the taxpayer’s dime.
November 30, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Don’t forget to mention Congressional and elite Washington insider trading that goes on right under the nose of the SEC. Corruption on this scale has not ben seen since the USSR politburo.
November 30, 2011 at 5:37 pm
You’re learning Mike, so why not run for office?
November 30, 2011 at 6:00 pm
He doesn’t want to be in the Congress when the new administration comes in January 2013. He doesn’t want them to investigate him for bringing down Fannie May and Freddy Mac which caused the 2008 financial meltdown. He is hoping to hot foot it out of the government before he is punished.
December 1, 2011 at 12:40 pm
“Today’s arrests bring to an end a long-standing criminal enterprise operated by colluding organized crime entities that profited wildly through a combination of extortion and fraud,” said ICE HSI Special Agent-in-Charge James T. Hayes, Jr. “As alleged, the defendants controlled their business and protected their turf through intimidation and threats of physical and economic harm. Today, that business model has been extinguished.”
Who else read that “business model” and isn’t that how our government works?
November 30, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Who else read that “business model” and thought, isn’t that how our government works?
November 30, 2011 at 5:06 pm
How about instead of gloating that they busted up a mafia ring, James T. Hayes, Jr. speak about how they have effectively freed these poor women from modern day slavery?
November 30, 2011 at 4:44 pm
I believe this was the smartest comment i have seen. A man that isn’t going to comment like a pig, probably because his penis is longer than an inch. Does everyone really wonder why govt and the “economy” are failing?? Because no one gives a damn about anybody but their selves. We are greedy and full of hate. Most of these women were probably lured here with honorable intentions and god knows what after that. It happens to Americans in Europe all the time, but we sure as hell don’t talk about it so lightly then.
November 30, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Ah yea like go do womething really important such as collecting terrorists…;.
November 30, 2011 at 4:40 pm
what is done about 7 million mooslime terrorists living in usa?
November 30, 2011 at 4:27 pm
Mooselims are allowed to live and die in their own country.
November 30, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Is this the place with “only four ugly ones!”.
If so, what an asinine commercial.
November 30, 2011 at 3:11 pm
AhHH…white trash at it’s best.
November 30, 2011 at 2:33 pm