A Florida man and his mother ran a sprawling prostitution ring together for nearly a quarter-century, siphoning off hundreds of thousands of dollars through various front companies and real estate purchases, according to police, who caught the pair as they reportedly prepared to flee the country. .
"Based on... intelligence gathered and evidence obtained from documents, there is reason to believe that Margareta von Lambert is using her Florida Realtor's License to facilitate the laundering of illicit proceeds for her son, Christopher Jelavic," a statement said on probable cause attached, an arrest warrant filed in Broward County Circuit Court.
Many of the escorts who worked for the mother-son team were registered as real estate agents and had valid real estate licenses, the 103-page affidavit alleges.
Jelavic, 48, and von Lambert, 70, were arrested on September 11 and 12, respectively, shortly after Jelavic bought plane tickets to Brazil in the middle of the night, the affidavit said. They are both being held on charges of money laundering and deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution. If they come up with bail amounts - six-figure amounts for each - the two will have to prove in court that the money is not related to illegal activities.
Von Lambert's husband, Joseph Fordyce, who is not facing criminal charges but is named in the affidavit, was reached by phone Monday and said he was not ready to talk about the case.
"I think it's premature to discuss anything," Fordyce said The independent. "I don't want to comment."
Mike Weisse, who also has not been charged in the alleged crime ring but was involved with Jelavic in a construction company also mentioned in the affidavit, was equally circumspect, saying, "I can't talk right now. Call me some other time.'
Jelavic did not have an attorney listed in the lawsuits and could not be reached for comment. Von Lambert's attorney, Gary Ostrow, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Local ABC affiliate WPLG was the first to report on the case.
The mother-son duo started working in 2000 and have been targeted by investigators several times in the past, but have never been prosecuted until now, according to the affidavit. Their main company, Pretty Woman Escorts, offered Latin American and European women for $300-$400 an hour, the affidavit said.
"Good things come in small packages," reads one ad Beautiful Woman website. "This little 6-foot Colombian is waiting for you."
"I am one [sic] Asian/Latina...I am extremely proud of myself and my appearance," said another. "I am always impeccably groomed and dress for every occasion."
"Do you desire a woman who will enchant, seduce and invite you with her touch, charisma, charm, intelligence and sensuality?" says a third. "I make it my mission to ensure that the time we spend together makes you forget the outside world."
An investigation launched in January found the company was hidden behind a front company, Boca Art Studios, the affidavit said. A law enforcement check of Von Lambert's bank accounts revealed large deposits from Boca, as well as money coming in from Social Security, the affidavit said.
Checks on the account showed several payments for vague purposes, such as "house remodeling," "construction loan," "IPH School, travel reimbursement" and multiple checks for "bathroom remodeling," according to the affidavit, which Fordyce, von Lambert's husband, is listed as one of the regular recipients. Police managed to deploy an undercover officer, posing as a driver, who obtained more information about the alleged goings-on.
Von Lambert advertised herself as a "real estate agent, artist and designer," and showed works on her website with names like " Homage to Picasso."
Jelavic purchased millions of dollars in real estate through Von Lambert, but employment records showed an income of only $3,000 per quarter, the affidavit said.
"What is striking when examining Margareta von Lambert's bank accounts is the lack of financial transactions from real estate activities for an account related to a real estate company and the lack of financial transactions from art studio activities for an account related to an art studio company. ", the statement said.
During a surveillance operation conducted in February, a team of detectives from the Broward County Sheriff's Office tracked a Brazilian woman who was being driven by her husband from Pretty Woman to her next escort appointment, according to the warrant. It says they stopped at a luxury apartment complex on a golf course in Pompano Beach shortly before 9 p.m., and the sex worker entered a ground-floor apartment while her husband waited outside in the car.
One of the detectives got out and walked to the back of the building, where he was able to look inside through the curtain-less windows, the affidavit said. He watched as the "male subject began to massage the female's head and sniff her hair," the affidavit continues. "After a few minutes, he sent the female to the bedroom... After removing her clothing, the male subject turned off the light... [and] The female was observed having sexual intercourse with the male."
Another officer on scene observed "an exchange of cash between the buyer and the escort," the affidavit alleges.
A 4 a.m. garbage collection at one of Pretty Woman's shipping locations turned up a list of customer names and contacts, along with the services they had booked. Detectives canvassing the scene also saw Jelavic carrying a heavy duffel bag that they believe was full of cash, according to the affidavit, which accuses him of conducting "bulk cash transfers."
A separate garbage collection included a pregnancy test, an empty box of condoms and "[n]countless paper towels and feminine hygiene products (such as vagisile [sic]), which are inconsistent with a business that portrays itself as selling 'works of art,'" the affidavit continues.
One of the drivers who transported chaperones to their appointments was an 88-year-old man, according to the affidavit.
At the end of July, Jelavic "came out[d] deep frustration and stress to his mother over his ongoing problems with his business," the affidavit says, citing a conversation overheard by a confidential informant in which Jelavic said he experienced "frustration and feelings of overwhelm."
That same evening, Jelavic told one of his employees that he was very angry with a trainee escort who had accidentally sent a mass text message to all of Pretty Woman's clients, according to the affidavit. The mistake forced the company to shut down completely for a time - the statement doesn't say for how long - and Jelavic went on to complain about how stressed he had become after 25 years.
Once Pretty Woman was back on duty, a Broward County detective requested an escort that would "provide full service," according to the affidavit. After recommending a particular sex worker, the Pretty Woman booker instead referred the detective to "Marcella," who she said "would be the better option for the services." [the detective] asked," the statement said.
Jelavic and von Lambert were unaware that their communications were being monitored by authorities, who recorded some of their conversations in the affidavit. On August 23, 2024, Jelavic told his mother he wants to buy a house in Croatia, which according to the affidavit "refers to plans to move or hide assets internationally."
Two weeks later, Jelavic spoke to a former Pretty Woman escort and told her "he is going to prison for money laundering, organized crime and other serious crimes," according to the affidavit, which states that Jelavic also said his mother would go to prison. also be imprisoned because she "helped with" his illegal activities.
"Jelavic discusses moving further away to prison and says goodbye to him [the former escort]", the statement said.
That evening, Jelavic called another Pretty Woman employee and told him that police had "confiscated all his belongings and that he was going to jail," according to the affidavit.
"Jelavic states that he intended to leave the company, sell the office and move on," the statement said. 'Jelavic wanted to tell me [the associate] his farewell [sic] and that he hopes he survives this."
At 3 a.m. on September 7, Jelavic drove his white BMW 680i to Miami International Airport, where he purchased plane tickets for himself and his wife to two different cities in Brazil, according to the affidavit. A few hours later, Jelavic's wife and mother joined him at the airport. Police believe the three were "attempting to flee the state of Florida," according to the affidavit.
It is unclear how authorities kept Jelavic and von Lambert off the flights, but booking records show Jelavic was arrested on September 11 and von Lambert on September 12. They were both ordered to surrender their passports, the affidavit said.
Jelavic and von Lambert will be arraigned on October 2.
