For 25 years, a mother and son ran a thriving prostitution ring in plain sight in Florida, disguising it as a real estate business—until 100 pages of evidence finally exposed their operation, according to prosecutors.
Margareta Von Lambert, 70, and her son Christopher Jelavic, 48, worked together to run an escort enterprise out of South Florida while laundering the prostitution money under the premise of a real estate agency.
Lambert and Jelavic are both charged with money laundering over $100,000 in a span of 12 months. Broward County Sheriff's detectives detailed their months-long investigation into Pretty Woman Escorts in a 100-page arrest affidavit, reported Local10 News.
The investigation involved undercover officers, informants, GPS trackers, hidden cameras, and secret surveillance and also highlighted that a detective witnessed a prostitute and client having sex through an uncovered window, noted the affidavit.
It's not like the business operated in the shadows. Jelavic and Von Lambert registered the business with the State of Florida's Sunbiz as "Pretty Woman Escorts Inc." in 2000, said officers; however, they have been unable to develop probable cause to make an arrest until now.
"Pretty Woman Escorts is the most sought after agency in South Florida. We are established, in business for over 20 years with a huge regular clientele. Our ladies get quality bookings because we have one of the most lucrative VIP Client lists in South Florida," their website boasts in the "Work For Us" tab.
The business operated from an office building in Pompano Beach and even had regular employees, including a front desk person and drivers who would reportedly transport the escorts from the office to meet clients at various locations after the $400 per hour sessions finished.
Von Lambert and Jelavic allegedly purchased airline tickets to Brazil and attempted to flee the country but were arrested before they could make off.
Both remain in custody at the Broward County Jail—Jelavic on a $1 million bond and Lambert on a $200,000 bond.
Their next court date is scheduled for Wednesday.
