Bethlehem police conduct first prostitution bust at Sands casino hotel

Bethlehem police conduct first prostitution bust at Sands casino hotel

Joseph Janis, 50, of Whitehall (left), and Danielle Moser (right), 24, of Toledo, Ohio, were among those arrested in this weekend's first-ever prostitution raid involving the Sands casino in Bethlehem. Three women told police Janis was their pimp, according to court records. Moser was charged with prostitution

By Pamela Lehman and Riley Yates, Of The Morning Call

In a first-ever prostitution raid involving the Sands casino, Bethlehem police conducted an undercover sting over the weekend, charging five women with prostitution and a Whitehall Township man with acting as their pimp.

The 2 1/2-hour operation came after casino hotel officials complained to police about prostitutes catering to their guests. Two of the accused were sent to prison, including the suspected pimp, who has faced prior prostitution charges in Allentown and Bushkill Township.

Though casino critics fretted about prostitution before the gambling hall opened in 2009, police said the bust was an isolated event in what has been a "relatively quiet and safe environment" at the Sands and its neighboring hotel. [This is a common problem associated with Slot Barns. Notice how the issue is downplayed by proponents.]

"With these arrests, we intend to keep it that way," said Bethlehem police Lt. Mark DiLuzio.

Before the Sands opened, hundreds of Bethlehem residents packed town hall meetings to voice fears that gambling would bring a spike in prostitution, drugs and crime. But DiLuzio said most crime at the casino and its hotel has been petty, consisting largely of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, fights in the parking lot and vehicle break-ins.

Although state police gaming enforcement troopers assisted city police with Saturday's investigation, troopers have not charged any casino patrons with prostitution or related offenses, said Sgt. Robert Caprari, commander of the state police office at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

A search of Pennsylvania Uniform Crime reporting figures turns up no prostitution arrests at area casinos by state police, whose gaming officers are responsible for crime that occurs inside casinos.

In the Bethlehem bust, police said Joseph John Janis, 50, of 3036 Rosewood Place, Whitehall, was arrested Saturday while circling the Sands casino and hotel in his car, according to court records. He was charged with three felony counts of promoting prostitution and sent to Northampton County Prison under $25,000 bail.

Police said three women at the hotel — all of whom admitted they were prostitutes — told investigators that Janis was their pimp, court records state. The women said Janis set up their encounters, drove them to the location and took a cut of the money they received for performing sex acts, the records state.

Police also charged the following with summary prostitution and related charges: Mary Bartholomew, 50, of 421 N. 16th St., Allentown; Kim Hutchinson, 40, of Phillipsburg; and Kim Rexroad, 34, and Stacy Hoffman, 47, both of Reading.

Danielle Moser, 24, of Toledo, Ohio, is also charged with prostitution. She was sent to Northampton County Prison under $10,000 bail after offering an undercover officer sex for $300, according to court records.

According to court records:

A woman who was not charged was detained at the hotel for suspected prostitution. She told police that Janis, her "pimp," would set up her appointments, drive her to the hotel and take a cut of the cash she received in exchange for sexual favors.

Janis ran a business called "At Your Pleasure" that included an ad offering suspected prostitution services and his cellphone number.

An undercover officer called Janis early Saturday and made arrangements to meet with a prostitute. Hoffman and Rexroad met with the officer and offered sex acts for cash.

Police saw Janis driving around the parking lot of the casino and hotel and the women identified him as their pimp. Inside Janis' car, police found suspected "prostitution paraphernalia," paperwork relating to massage parlors, two cellphones and an undisclosed amount of cash.

Janis has been charged with promoting prostitution twice before.

The first time was in 1995, when he and two women were accused of running a prostitution ring out of massage parlor in Allentown. He was eventually accepted into a first-offenders program that allowed him to avoid a criminal conviction, according to court records.

The next was 12 years later, in Bushkill Township, and he eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of procuring a prostitute and received 60 days of house arrest, 16 months of supervision and 40 hours of community service.

Janis was charged in the second case after a police sting in October 2007 at the Red Carpet Inn in Bushkill , where an undercover officer met a prostitute he had found through a phone number for "Dream Girls," according to court records.

After the prostitute, Jami Tomiselli, was arrested, she agreed to lead police to her pimp. Janis was taken into custody carrying marked bills after he met her in a parking lot and took some of the money she had received, police said.

At the time of his arrest, Bushkill police found a machine used for credit card transactions inside Janis' car. While he was in custody, his cellphone was constantly ringing, police said.

But when Janis pleaded guilty in September 2008, defense attorney Philip Lauer denied his client ran a prostitution business, saying that "would be dramatically overstating what occurred," according to court transcripts.

"On the other hand, Mr. Janis does not deny that through some connections he had, he was able to on occasion procure someone, if that is what someone wanted," Lauer said.

Assistant District Attorney John Obrecht said at the time that given Janis' 1995 case, it was clear prostitution "is an area that he doesn't necessarily stray too far from."

Judge F.P. Kimberly McFadden was taken aback by the price the prostitute charged, of which "at least half" went to Janis, according to Obrecht.

"In Wind Gap, $250?" McFadden asked.

"I have no knowledge of these things, your honor," Obrecht said, before adding: "That is the full-service price, however."

Lauer said there was a long period between Janis' two cases in which he stayed away from prostitution. But Lauer said "hard times" caused his client to fall back on his "prior experience."