An Estonian pimp who turned illegal immigrants into sex workers at his Brighton massage parlor got the maximum 41-month federal prison sentence
Published:
29 November 2004 y., Monday
An Estonian pimp who turned illegal immigrants into sex workers at his Brighton massage parlor got the maximum 41-month federal prison sentence yesterday from an irate judge.
Roman Valdma, 38, who became a U.S. citizen 14 years ago, sheepishly told the judge, ``I'm sorry for what I've done. I'm ready to face the consequences,'' he said.
But Valdma said he never assaulted any of the seven women who came from Estonia and worked for him to pay off the cost of their airline tickets and phony visas.
The women, one as young as 20, performed erotic massage ``with a special ending,'' according to investigators. Both prosecutors and Valdma had sought a shorter sentence of 36 months.
Valdma's attorney Thomas J. Butters pointed to a transcript of the government's secretly taped conversation of Valdma talking to one woman as proof he never coerced her. When she asked how much work she would do, he replied, ``It is not slavery here! You do as much as you feel like.''
Šaltinis:
news.bostonherald.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
The dark spectre of unemployment is stalking Europe and 2010 is the year it has earmarked in the fight against poverty.
more »
Just about a month after a devastating 8.8-magnitude earthquake destroyed vast swaths of Chile’s south central region, residents in the coastal town of Dichato continue to wait for much needed aid.
more »
The European Parliament will once again mark “Earth Hour” by switching off lights in all its buildings for one hour this Friday and Saturday.
more »
Only one in 10 board members of Europe's biggest listed companies is a woman and all central bank governors in the EU are male.
more »
New rules in 10 EU countries would let international couples choose which country’s law applies to their divorces.
more »
The EP's Committee on Culture and Education urges the EU to promote non-formal education, combat youth unemployment and help young people with special needs.
more »
More than 50 million people in southwest China are struggling to cope with what is being called the worst drought in living memory.
more »
Ideas sought on how to improve train, energy and banking services - a major cause of headaches for consumers in Europe.
more »
The EBRD is supporting the rehabilitation of the water and wastewater system in the city of Aktau, in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan, with a loan in Kazakhstan Tenge (KZT) equivalent to €5.8 million (KZT 1.2 billion) to Aktau TVS&V, the municipal water and district heating company serving the city.
more »
The world’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day parade bathed New York’s Fifth Avenue in a sea of green.
more »