Mom and son arrested in Pretty Woman prostitution empire used clever ploy to wash hundreds of thousands of dollars

A parent and lad from Florida person been arrested and charged with wealth laundering aft instrumentality enforcement recovered the brace allegedly acceptable up fake existent property firms and ammunition companies to process net made done prostitution.

Christopher Jelavic, 48, and his 70-year-old parent Margareta von Lambert were arrested wrong a time of 1 different connected September 11 and 12 respectively. 

The duo are accused of laundering wealth with the proceeds allegedly totaling successful the hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Jelavic and von Lambert were based successful South Florida and moving a Pompano Beach concern called Pretty Woman Escorts arsenic a 'criminal endeavor engaged successful commercialized sex' but they used von Lambert's occupation arsenic a realtor arsenic screen to tally the escort business.

The concern is alleged to person been moving for decades having been initially acceptable up successful April 2000 with von Lambert hiring 'realtors' who were successful world moving arsenic prostitutes - but galore adjacent had valid existent property licenses.

Detectives identified a bland gathering connected the country of North Dixie Highway arsenic the halfway of the operation, with region records showing a corp related to Jelavic purchased the commercialized gathering successful 2005 erstwhile helium was conscionable 24.  

The concern was hidden down a beforehand institution known arsenic Boca Art Studios, according to the affidavit.

In the years since, the parent and lad allegedly acceptable up ammunition companies registered with the Florida Division of Corporations successful bid to 'facilitate the laundering of commercialized enactment proceeds.'

Von Lambert is alleged to person utilized her Florida-registered existent property licence to facilitate the endeavor and supply an aerial of legitimacy, the documents state.

But the full empire came crumbling down aft detectives with the Broward County Sheriff's Money Laundering Task Force became suspicious erstwhile Jelavic placed aggregate ads and classifieds for 'escort services'.

Despite determination having been respective investigations implicit the years into Pretty Woman Escorts, nary had been palmy astatine disrupting oregon dismantling the business, nor astatine uncovering those liable for moving the seedy enterprise, reports CBS Miami.

Detectives looked backmost done erstwhile investigations and recovered individuals allegedly 'engaging successful a signifier of racketeering activity' that included prostitution and wealth laundering done Pretty Woman Escorts and the different businesses.

Police past acceptable up a caller probe which saw them stitchery further accusation from records searches unneurotic with grounds from surveillance, postulation stops, subpoenas, recorded telephone calls, confidential sources, undercover operations and ever searches successful the trash.

After sifting done the garbage, detectives besides monitored the comings and goings of each car and idiosyncratic who visited the Pompano Beach property. 

The enactment workers were described arsenic being 'young Hispanic and European' women with clients paying $300-$400 for an hr with them. 

'Good things travel successful tiny packages,' reads 1 advertisement connected Pretty Woman's website. 'This tiny 5'-foot-2 Colombian is waiting for you.' 

'I americium an Asian/ Latina…I instrumentality utmost pridefulness successful myself and my appearance,' different states. 'I americium ever impeccably groomed and formal for immoderate occasion.'

'Do you person a tendency for a pistillate who volition mesmerize you, allure you, and invitation you with her touch, charisma, charm, intelligence, and sensuality?' asks a third. 'I marque it my ngo to guarantee the clip we walk unneurotic volition marque you hide astir the extracurricular world.' 

Broward Sheriff's Office Detective Jairo Barrera explained how the enactment workers earned 55 percent stock portion Jelavic's chopped was acceptable astatine 45 percent. 

The concern besides utilized drivers who received astir $25 for each travel arsenic they traveled to the client's locations betwixt 6pm and 5am.

But the unit appeared to beryllium mounting and successful 1 incidental connected July 25, documents item however a confidential root told detectives that Jelavic allegedly expressed 'deep vexation and stress' to his parent astir ongoing issues with the endeavor and suggested they absorption much connected existent property ventures.

Detectives investigated further and recovered retired done a confidential root however Jelavic told an subordinate that helium had to cancel attending an lawsuit that nighttime due to the fact that of a 'major contented with an employee.'

According to the documents arsenic seen by Local10 which tally to much than 100 pages, Jelavic explained however a pistillate helium had been grooming for a period accidentally sent a wide substance connection to each of his clients.

It led to the implicit shutdown of his concern operations leaving his telephone disconnected and concern to halt functioning. 

After the incident, Jelavic said that helium was 'fed up with the stress' of the business.

One of his associates past suggested helium should absorption connected existent property instead.

Documents past item however Jelavic allegedly met up with his parent again connected August 1. 

On that juncture the brace discussed astir transferring properties to his ain teenage lad successful bid trim taxation liabilities.

The probe recovered that Jelavic's slope accounts with Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and JP Morgan Chase had allegedly received astir $174,000 done assorted means including Zelle, recognition paper transactions and currency deposits.

It's alleged each of the wealth came from prostitution net betwixt June 2023 and June 2024.

The payments were past allegedly drained retired of his slope accounts utilizing checks and online transfers to a associated accounts with his mother, von Lambert, documents state.

The descriptions were peculiarly vague with comments specified arsenic 'home remodeling,' 'loan for construction,' 'IPH School, refund question expenses,' and aggregate checks for 'bathroom remodeling.' 

Over the aforesaid clip period, von Lambert's checking accounts received astir $84,000 successful deposited checks and Zelle payments that came from the aforesaid account.

Von Lambert advertised herself arsenic a 'real property broker, creator & designer' with her son, Jelavic, purchasing millions of dollars worthy of existent estate, done her.

'What is noticeable erstwhile examining Margareta von Lambert's slope accounts is the deficiency of fiscal transactions of existent property enactment for an relationship associated with a existent property concern and the deficiency of fiscal transactions of creation workplace enactment for an relationship associated with an creation workplace business,' according to the affidavit. 

Jelevic's ammunition companies past allegedly sold a Tamarac spot with von Lambert arsenic the realtor progressive who helped 'facilitate this wealth laundering transaction.'

Jelavic and von Lambert had nary thought their communications had been intercepted and were being monitored by authorities. Several of their conversations were included successful the affidavit. 

In August, Jelavic told his parent of his intentions to bargain a location successful Croatia, which the affidavit said 'hints astatine plans to determination oregon fell assets internationally.'

Weeks later, Jelavic was heard speaking with a erstwhile Pretty Woman escort telling her 'that helium is going to situation for wealth laundering, organized crime, and different superior offenses,' according to the affidavit.

'Jelavic discusses further going distant to situation and communicates his farewell to [the erstwhile escort],' the affidavit reads.

He aboriginal called different subordinate and told him however the constabulary had 'seized each his assets, and that helium volition beryllium going to prison.'

'Jelavic advises that helium was readying connected quitting the business, selling the office, and moving on,' the affidavit details. 'Jelavic wanted to archer [the associate] his goodbye's  and that helium hopes helium survives this.'

Authorities accidental however earlier this period Jelavic and von Lambert attempted to permission the U.S. for Brazil successful bid to debar being prosecuted.

They pulled up to Miami airdrome conscionable aft 3am connected September 7th to effort and fly the country, according to the documents. 

He bought level tickets for himself and his woman to 2 antithetic cities successful Brazil, according to the affidavit. 

Hours later, Jelavic’s woman and his parent arrived astatine the airdrome to articulation him.

Jelavic and Lambert some look charges of wealth laundering and deriving enactment from the proceeds of prostitution. 

The brace volition stay successful jailhouse until they beryllium that the root of their bail has thing to bash with the alleged crimes.

If correctional deputies merchandise them connected bond, they volition not beryllium allowed to question extracurricular Broward oregon Palm Beach counties.