ORLANDO, Fla. -- Transcripts of an undercover agent and an advertising executive from the Orlando Weekly released Wednesday prove ads were knowingly sold to prostitutes for sex services, according to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation.
Brian Martin, 43, the classified director for the Orlando Weekly; Katherine Miller, 27, an account executive; and Matthew Whiting, 37, an account executive, were arrested during a job fair Friday at the downtown Orlando Marriott Hotel by MBI officers.
The managers were arrested on charges of aiding and abetting prostitution.
According to MBI transcripts, the first thing the undercover agent told one of the newspaper ad executives was "I run an escort service."
The Orlando Weekly executive said, "Right," according to the transcript.
The ad executive also talked about his background in the report.
"I know from experience and clients that I deal with personally; they get a much better response base when it's the description of a girl," the ad executive said. "When it doesn't seem like it's an agency, guys are much more likely to call ads. I mean if you know, if guys are looking for (expletive) or stuff like that, they're typically going to go to our massage section -- license massage."
"Pretty much we do everything," the undercover agent said. "I mean you know, sex, (expletive), you know. I mean, whatever they want. If they want S&M, we will give them S&M. We'll give them everything."
"You know, I think some weeks are slower than others from talking to my clients, so…" the ad executive said.
"Oh really," the undercover agent said. "OK, OK, well I heard Orlando is a pretty, pretty busy place."
"And really, there's no other place really to advertise," the ad executive said.
The publisher of the Orlando Weekly said the charges are outrageous and that he believes his paper was targeted because it has been critical of the MBI.
"The owners and publisher of the Weekly neither had knowledge of, condone or tolerate the alleged conduct," Orlando Weekly Attorney Bill Schaefer said. "We should not rush to judgment based on the release of a transcript from a single conversation from a two-year investigation. We should examine the propriety of the release of potential evidence prior to judicial proceedings. It may deny the defendants a fair and impartial trial."
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