Judge Denies Bail Reduction for Wife of ‘NYPD Pimp’
/By David Brand
A judge denied a bail reduction for the woman charged with masterminding a multi-million dollar prostitution and gambling ring with her ex-cop husband in spite of her attorney’s argument that she was a victim of “NYPD pimps.”
Arelis Peralta, who is accused of running a multimillion-dollar prostitution ring with her husband Ludwig Paz, an ex-NYPD detective, appeared in criminal court Tuesday. // Eagle photo by David Brand
Arelis Peralta is charged with enterprise corruption for her alleged leading role in a prostitution ring that operated out of eight brothels Queens and Brooklyn. She appeared before Judge Ronald Hollie while her attorney Victoria Brown-Douglas filed a bail application to have her bond reduced from $400,000 to $300,000.
“This is an NYPD case and my client is not a member of the service,” Brown-Douglas said. “At best, the district attorney is saying she's the wife of an NYPD pimp.”
Hollie rejected the bail reduction request.
Brown-Douglas also accused the district attorney’s office of holding Peralta “hostage” even as the prosecutors received “millions of dollars to protect victims of domestic violence.”
When asked after the hearing whether Peralta was a victim of domestic violence, Brown-Douglas answered with a question of her own.
“If her husband is accused of being a pimp and pimping people who look like us, what do you think?” Brown-Douglas said.
Peralta cried as she stood before the court, but Assistant District Attorney Bradley Chain was unmoved. Chain said Peralta was a leader of the prostitution ring and wiretaps recorded her “barking orders” at low-level workers in the alleged enterprise.
Prosecutors offered Peralta a plea deal of 4 to 12 years in prison, but Brown-Douglas rejected the deal.
Ludwig Paz, the former NYPD vice squad detective charged with running the operation, was produced from jail, but did not appear in court on Tuesday after his attorney Frank Kelly waived the appearance.
Prosecutors also offered Paz a plea bargain of 5 to 15 years in prison. His attorney Frank Kelly said he would share the deal with Paz.
“It’s up to him whether it should be considered,” Kelly said. Paz and Peralta will both return to court on Dec. 12.
A courthouse source said they expected Paz to reject the deal.
Three other defendants, who were all released on their own recognizance, appeared in court.
Attorney John Scarpa, who is facing his own federal charges for allegedly bribing a witness, is representing defendant Elisa Krumeich.
