High-Priced Manhattan Madam Busted for Prostitution Ring

A hard-driving Russian madam ran a high-end ring that boasted some of the most accomplished working girls in the city -- including a geometry teacher, a military surgeon and an Olympic athlete, authorities charged yesterday.
But despite her classy call girls, Naira Jalovian, 29, still faced competition. She was accused of trying to bribe a federal agent she thought was on the take to bust her rivals.
She allegedly slipped him wads of cash under the table as they dined in upscale eateries all around town.
Wearing a white linen button-down shirt, black cropped pants and tan sandals, and sporting a snake-like tattoo on her right calf, a greasy-haired Jalovian was hauled into Brooklyn federal court and charged with promoting interstate prostitution.
The 250-pound madam, who is in the United States on a green card, was arrested at her pricey Jersey City apartment. In a thick Russian accent, she said she understood the charges before the judge ordered her held. Her lawyer reserved the right to seek bail later.
The federal complaint detailed a series of cloak-and-dagger meetings during the spring between the hefty madam and a wired Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who Jalovian knew worked undercover but believed was crooked.
During the meetings, Jalovian allegedly passed the agent stacks of bills, promising him 10 percent of a business that she claimed raked in $30,000 to $50,000 a month. In return, he was to make sure her competitors went out of business.
Jalovian advertised her prostitutes on an erotic Web site and charged between $800 and $1,000 for sexual romps at apartments she rented in Manhattan, where she regularly traveled to collect the cash, the feds said.
Most of the clients were wealthy but low-profile businessmen and professionals, such as architects and doctors; celebrities were avoided to keep the business low-key.
On May 25, Jalovian and the ICE agent met at Jane's Restaurant in the West Village, where she allegedly offered him half the profits from an online operation she planned to start if he "cleaned out" 50 to 70 percent of her competition.
Jalovian slipped the agent $1,500 under the table, promising if he closed down three of her rivals, she'd launch the new sex site, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors protested Jalovian's claim that she's broke and her request for a court-appointed lawyer, saying that she receives $20,000 monthly from a person who was not identified.

nypost.com

June 30, 2010