DENVER - 9Wants to Know has learned that secret documents that belonged to a former prostitution business were stolen on Monday night. The documents included a list of clients' real and fake names, phone numbers, credit card and cash receipts, according to a Denver Police report.
"There was forced entry into the home and we documented that," Lt. Matt Murray, spokesman for the Denver Police Department, said. "Between 6 and 8 p.m., somebody broke into the residence there and stole some items and so we are investigating."
Scottie Ewing, the former owner of the prostitution business, allowed 9NEWS to videotape the crime scene. He says the burglars popped out a window in a laundry room door and then proceeded to look through the home. In the office, drawers were pulled out, the closet was ransacked and doors were left open, according to Ewing.
Ewing's computer, paper files and a plastic bin full of records were stolen. He says they belonged to the former Denver brothel Denver Players/Denver Sugar.
Ewing says nothing else was taken from the home; an iPad, artwork, expensive sunglasses, jewelry, a video camera and other valuable items that were in plain view inside the home were left untouched.
Ewing says he was only gone for about two hours Monday night when his home in southwest Denver was burglarized. He says he didn't realize his home had been burglarized until an hour later when he went to turn on his computer and realized it was gone. He immediately called Denver Police and filed a report, according to records.
"If people get outed, it's on the person who did this," Ewing said.
The police crime scene lab tried to lift fingerprints off of items touched in the home, police interviewed neighbors, and a detective is expected to conduct more interviews on Wednesday, 9Wants to Know has learned.
Police raided the escort agency and shut it down in February 2008. Police and other law enforcement officials served search warrants at the brothel and the owner's home and seized records and documents.
Those documents have never been released. Denver Police have not pursued any investigation or solicitation charges against any clients who paid the women for sex. The women were paid $300 or more for one hour of sex, according to the search warrants.
9Wants to Know connected former Chief Federal Judge Edward Nottingham to the brothel, when his name and phone number appeared on the client list. He resigned in 2008.
The brothel's owner, Brenda Stewart, was indicted on 70 criminal counts including tax evasion, racketeering, witness tampering and money laundering related to the business. Stewart agreed to a plea deal and will be sentenced on Nov. 7. Stewart has not returned 9NEWS calls for comment.
Radio talk show hosts and bloggers in Denver have been talking about other possible names on the client list. 9Wants to Know is still investigating, conducting interviews and verifying documents in the story.
Hmmmmmm, now who would steal something like this??