SAN DIEGO — A former San Diego police detective who used his badge and his information to run a string of therapeutic massage intercourse parlors in California and Arizona pleaded responsible Tuesday to federal fees.
Peter Griffin and three different defendants entered pleas in San Diego federal court docket to racketeering-related conspiracy, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and different crimes, the U.S. legal professional’s workplace stated in an announcement.
The wire fraud cost carries a sentence of as much as 30 years in jail and a $1 million advantageous.
Prosecutors stated that between 2013 and 2022, Griffin and the others owned and operated 5 therapeutic massage spas that employed girls to carry out sexual companies that had been marketed on-line.
The companies had been positioned in and round San Diego and in Tempe, Arizona, based on a grand jury indictment.
Griffin, 78, was with the San Diego Police Division from 1975 to 2002, together with time with the Vice Operations Unit that investigates prostitution, authorities stated.
“In accordance with his plea settlement, all through the course of the scheme, Griffin used the expertise and expertise he acquired by his work as a vice detective – and in no less than one occasion, his badge – to assist the companies evade regulation enforcement; thwart regulatory inspections, investigations and any official motion in opposition to the companies; conceal proof and preserve a façade of legitimacy,” the U.S. legal professional’s workplace assertion stated.
“Nobody is above the regulation. I’m appalled that somebody who as soon as took an oath to guard our group may prey on the susceptible,” San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit stated in an announcement.
“This is a crucial step towards justice for the survivors of those crimes,” he stated.