NEW YORK, NY — “It’s his conduct, and he has to suffer the consequences,” said Assistant US Attorney Jennefer Sasso, referring to now-former Officer Michael Rizzi.
Officer Rizzi has been sentenced to one year and three months in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering conspiracy involving activity that brought in more than $2 million between October 2012 and May 2016.
“I want to put what I did in the past,” said Rizzi.
Reports suggest that Rizzi had been running a “multi-million dollar prostitution ring.”
The service was based online and catered to big spenders who arranged for escorts to meet them at homes or elite hotels, according to reports.
Some of aspects of the service evidently involved prostitution, though the judge noted that the women were not “necessarily victims in the ordinary sense of the word.”
Federal policy would classify the women as victims, but the judge determined that the women were more akin to entrepreneurs.
After seeing so much success with the business, Rizzi apparently “turned a blind eye” toward what was happening.
It was “the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he said.
He has been a cop for nine years, which likely factored into the judge’s decision to not pursue a harsher sentencing, according to reports.
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