Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Feds bust B-girl crew

Don't know what a B-girl is, do you? Well, the USAO just busted a bunch of them in a fascinating case. Here's the complaint.

The New Times summarizes it:

The FBI today has busted an Eastern European ring that set up a half dozen fake clubs in South Beach that existed solely to steal thousands of dollars from wealthy tourists lured there by a team of beautiful "B-Girl" scam artists. Really!

Federal prosecutors charged seventeen people today in the scam, which hinged on lovely Eastern European "Bar Girls" -- or "B-Girls" -- luring out-of-town businessmen and tourists from legit clubs to the gang's "private establishments."

Here's how the incredible scheme worked, the feds say.

The gang set up at least six fake clubs: Caviar Beach and Stars Lounge, both at 643 Washington Ave.; a room inside Club Moreno at 1341 Washington Ave.; Nowhere Bar at 643 Washington Ave.; Steel Toast at 758 Washington Ave.; and the Tangia Club at 841 Washington Ave.

They also shipped in numerous B-Girls from Eastern Europe and rented them apartments around South Beach. The gang's bouncers, meanwhile, prevented anyone from entering the clubs except for marks accompanied by B-Girls.

Once inside, bartenders working for the gang would rack up tens of thousands of dollars on the men's credit cards and sometimes forge their signatures.


Here's my question -- does this case belong in federal court or state court? Talk to me.

13 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:45 PM

    Neither. It belongs on cable or even on the big screen. I could just see the string of sequels now - "B-Girl Bash", "Revenge of the B-Girls", "I Was a Teenage B-Girl"

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  2. swlip3:09 PM

    I think that shipping in girls from abroad makes it federal. But what do I know? I'm just a civil litigator.

    You gotta love the anecdote about the guy who went back for seconds after blacking out and waking up with no cash and a painting on his bed of a disappointed horse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tSPIoRG4jA

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  3. Anonymous4:36 PM

    Where are the pictures of the B girls? Your slippin' man.

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  4. Anonymous4:42 PM

    How is this good for the local economy? We're in the middle of a recession!

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  5. Guest Blogger6:30 PM

    What? No pictures of the b-girls?

    I'm going back to that crappy blog where the depraved blogger would post pcitures of the defendants.

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  6. Anonymous11:06 PM

    you wont print my comment calling you a snob? i am shocked shocked at that.

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  7. Anonymous10:04 AM

    Breaking news: the B-girls were standing inside the foyer of the Wilkerson building just minutes ago.

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  8. Anonymous2:25 PM

    Speaking of trivia questions: Which local criminal defense attorney won the Miami Herald Spelling Bee in 1985 and won a spot in the National Bee.

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  9. You are the same guy who said the same thing about the moving scam but yet you made a ton of $$$$. Bet you dont print this!!!!!

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  10. Swlip -- they aren't charged with "shipping in girls." In fact, the women are all charged in the scheme.

    Jack -- huh?

    Commentors who want pictures -- so do I.

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  11. Anonymous12:09 PM

    Who coined the name "B-Girls?"

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  12. "The arrests were the result of an undercover investigation by an agent who infiltrated the alleged crime ring by posing as a “corrupt police officer working off-duty” as a bouncer or doorman"

    Not much of a stretch for MBPD.

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  13. Complaint never identifies the department who employed the off-duty cop.

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