Tag Archives: Crime

by | February 11, 2012 · 7:04 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Louisiana Hotel Director Of Security "Indicted By Grand Jury" For Allegedly "Covering Up Rape" In Hotel

“As the director of security, etc., if you see what you perceive to be a crime, you need to call it in and let the police and the district attorney sort it out…they may have made some decisions of their own to not do that, and now the district attorney feels like what they did was a crime, which is covering up a bigger crime of aggravated rape.”

An Orleans grand jury indicted three people Thursday, one on a rape charge, and two Sheraton hotel employees for allegedly trying to cover it up.

One of those facing charges is the hotel’s former head of security.  FOX 8 sources say the rape took place in an ice room on the 44th floor of the Sheraton hotel in Dec. 2010.

We’re told a security guard responded to the call from a guest, and that guard witnessed the rape.  But one source says the hotel’s director of security, 31-year-old Antonio Rodriguez, instructed the guard to write up the report as a non-complaint, instead of a rape.

The grand jury indicted 21-year-old Anthony Davis with one count of aggravated rape, and now Rodriguez and the manager on duty that day, 23-year-old Lila Schwary, both face a charge of conspiracy to compound a felony.

For more:  http://www.fox8live.com/mostpopular/story/Three-indicted-for-Sheraton-Hotel-rape/7Blf6YYAHki8kMzmEZ8fwg.cspx

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by | January 4, 2012 · 6:13 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Louisiana Hotels' "Business Centers" Used For "Online Prostitution"; Pictures And Ads Found On Computers

“…Prosecutors say a Houston man who had used a hotel business center to post online ads offering a woman for prostitution faces up to 10 years in prison…”

“… posted online advertisements for sexual services and reportedly kept all the profits his victims made…”

A Houston man has pleaded guilty to transporting a woman for commercial sex, the US Attorney’s Office says. In court, 30-year-old Jerald Bland admitted he transported a woman to Louisiana so she could engage in prostitution.

Bland, aka “Moe Betta”, was arrested following an undercover Houston Police investigation in March 2010. Officers discovered a camera containing pictures of women in sexually provocative poses and Bland flashing money.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 20, 2012. If convicted, Bland faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. Upon release, he also faces a lifetime sentence of supervised release.

Read more: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/120103-man-pleads-guilty-in-sex-trafficking-case#ixzz1iUwAekmu

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by | December 16, 2011 · 7:03 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Prevention: Montana Police Task Force Trains Hotel Employees To Look For Evidence Of Drug And Prostitution Activity

Employees are taught to look for signs such as people who pay only in cash, give false vehicle information or don’t let housekeeping into their rooms for long periods of time.

The task force recently began implementing a program in which hotel and motel employees are trained to look for evidence of illegal drug activity coming from rooms, and to know who to call if they see something suspicious.

The recent arrests of three people suspected of running a prostitution operation in a room at the TownHouse Inn was a result of a tip made by an employee of the hotel to the Central Montana Drug Task Force.

The employee was trained by Sgt. Chris Hickman of the Great Falls Police Department, a member of the multi-agency task force, to recognize signs of suspicious behavior. While it was initially suspected that the three individuals were running a drug operation, Hickman said he was glad that officers were able to shut down the alleged prostitution as a result cooperation from hotel staff.

 According to Hickman, police are pursuing three active cases because of tips from cooperative lodging employees in Great Falls, but an unfortunate by-product of that cooperation can sometimes be a sullied reputation for the business if a tip leads to a publicized arrest.

For more:  http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20111214/NEWS01/112140311/Great-Falls-program-netted-prostitution-ring-relies-hotel-staff-tips

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by | November 30, 2011 · 7:08 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: NBC Security Consultant Demonstrates How Criminals Can Use Hotel Staff To Break Into Hotel Rooms (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udcZjs9_g80]

NBC Security Consultant shows how criminals can use hotel staff to break into a hotel room.

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by | November 22, 2011 · 6:52 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Risks: South Carolina Hotel Maintenance Worker Arrested On Sexual Assault Charges For "Grabbing And Touching" Housekeeper "Inappropriately"

“…The victim…had been cleaning a room when one of the maintenance workers.. entered the room to help her flip a mattress…he walked up to her and began grabbing her breasts and touching her inappropriately…”
 
“…Dooley left but then allegedly returned 10 to 15 minutes later and reportedly exposed his genitals to the victim, touching himself…”

A Myrtle Beach man is behind bars after allegedly grabbing a co-worker inappropriately and causing her to be fearful of her safety a couple of weeks ago.

According to a police report, Myrtle Beach Police responded to a hotel in the 2700 block of N. Ocean Highway Saturday afternoon in reference to an assault that had taken place on Nov. 9.
 
She said she pushed Dooley off of her and told him to stop, and said they would both be fired if anyone saw his behavior. The victim also told police she told him not to touch her like that and told him to leave the room.
 
Dooley left but then allegedly returned 10 to 15 minutes later and reportedly exposed his genitals to the victim, touching himself.
The victim told police Dooley said things like “I am hanging to be a white boy” and “I love black Oreos” to her and she became afraid of him, scared he was going to attack her.
 
She then went to the head of housekeeping to tell her about what happened and the incident was reported to the hotel’s general manager. According to the victim, Dooley was then suspended from work.
Sunday, officers arrested Dooley and charged him with assault and battery in the second degree as well as indecent exposure.

 

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by | November 15, 2011 · 6:32 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Suspect In California Hotel Guest Room Burglaries Arrested After Successful Surveillances; Entered Rooms Through Patio Sliding Door

After the string of burglaries, the Palms Springs Police Department started conducting surveillances outside the hotel, and it was during one of those surveillances that they found the suspect.

The general manager of the Desert Riviera says to look for a hotel where staff seems involved and aware.

Police saw Christopher Thompson climbing into the outside patio area of a hotel room. He got into the room through a sliding glass door. Tourists we talked with were surprised to hear about the crime, but always take steps to keep their belongings safe when they travel.

Block says there are also some simple steps you can take to make sure you don’t become a victim of a crime when you travel.

  1. Lock not just the front door but the back sliding glass door as well
  2. Take valuables with you
  3. Choose a hotel where the parking area looks lit and safe
  4. Always lock your car
  5. Spend time researching the hotel

For more:  http://www.kesq.com/news/29769831/detail.html

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by | November 14, 2011 · 6:44 am

Hospitality Inudustry Employment Risks: Woman At Florida Staffing Company Convicted Of "Alien Smuggling And Worker Visa Fraud" In Supplying Workers To Hotels

 “…a large temporary labor staffing company based in Orlando, which supplied temporary labor to numerous businesses in the hotel and hospitality industries throughout Florida and the United States…”

“… They also submitted fake hotel contract agreements to conceal their activities and falsely reported that U.S. workers had been hired when they had not…”

A federal jury found a Brazilian woman residing in Orlando guilty of alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and worker visa fraud on Monday, following an investigation that began with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Rafaela Dutra Toro, 30, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. She was indicted on Jan. 26. Her sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

 “The individuals involved in this case orchestrated a very large and very complex visa fraud ring. They took jobs away from U.S. citizens and others who are legally allowed to work in this country by knowingly employing people who were not authorized to work in the United States,” said Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI in Tampa. “Through cases like this one, HSI is helping to protect our economy and preserve job opportunities from being lost due to fraud.”

Toro is a citizen of Brazil and will be subject to removal from the United States after serving her sentence. According to evidence presented at trial, Toro worked for VR Services, a large temporary labor staffing company based in Orlando, which supplied temporary labor to numerous businesses in the hotel and hospitality industries throughout Florida and the United States. The scheme allowed Toro and her co-conspirators to set up a permanent foreign labor pool that hired illegal alien workers across the United States in jobs that would normally have been filled by United States citizens. As part of the conspiracy, Toro and her co-conspirators submitted false documentation to the government and manipulated the H-2B foreign worker visa process. They also submitted fake hotel contract agreements to conceal their activities and falsely reported that U.S. workers had been hired when they had not.

For more:  http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=443603&CategoryId=14090

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by | November 10, 2011 · 6:44 am

Hospitality Industry Internet Risks: Connecticut Hotel Employees Assist Authorities In Arrest And Conviction Of Man For "Child Pornography" While Using Hotel Internet

Employees at the Marriott Hotel in Hartford, Conn., took action over the summer when they spotted a man trying to access a pornographic website in their hotel, the Hartford Courant reports.

They banned the man from the hotel, and then alerted authorities, leading to an investigation by agencies including the Hartford Police, FBI and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force.

That investigation on Tuesday led to a guilty plea from the suspect who had been using Internet services almost daily at a variety of places including the hotel’s Starbucks Café and the nearby library, the article says.

He had previously been convicted of attempted child molestation, according to the FBI.

William Scott Van Wyk, 35, pleaded guilty in Hartford before U.S. District Judge Christopher Droney to a child pornography charge and one count of using the Internet to try to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity, the story says.

He faces at least 15 years in prison, although he may receive a longer sentence due to his record.

For more:  http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2011/11/hotel-takes-action-when-man-spotted-child-porn-guilty-plea/562998/1?csp=34travel&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomTravel-TopStories+%28Travel+-+Top+Stories%29

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by | November 9, 2011 · 6:46 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Las Vegas Hotel Housekeeper "Sexually Assaulted" In Hotel Room; Security And Surveillance Measures Had Been Cut And Scaled Back In Recent Years

“…In the 1990s and early 2000s, the hotel used to provide for a security guard at the employee parking lot. That position has been cut, the co-worker said…”

“…The number of security guards assigned to walk guest floors to monitor safety also has been scaled back over the years, said the employee, who suggested there should be at least one security guard at guest elevators to check identifications…”

A Las Vegas man accused of beating and raping a 65-year-old Strip hotel maid last week kept clothing in his home that may have been bloodied in the attack, police said.

According to his Las Vegas police arrest report, David Randell Ferren, 19, kept a bloody jacket, belt and condoms that may have been worn during the assault of a Bally’s hotel maid on the morning of Nov. 1.

The report alleges Ferren punched the maid in the face as she was entering a room on the 59th floor of Bally’s about 9:30 a.m. Security footage showed Ferren exiting an elevator on that floor shortly before the attack, police said.

In the arrest report, police said Ferren forced the maid into the room and raped her. The assault was interrupted after the occupant of the room entered. That woman told detectives she saw a naked man getting dressed as the maid fled the room, the report said.

Another maid saw the man using an emergency exit , the report said.

For more:  http://www.lvrj.com/news/suspect-in-strip-rape-kept-bloody-clothing-police-say-133403473.html

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by | November 4, 2011 · 2:04 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Security: Pennsylvania Hotel Sued By Woman Attacked In Elevator For "Negligence In Failing To Provide Adequate Security"

“…The woman and her husband, of East Pittsburgh, filed the 17-page lawsuit in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court against Hyatt Hotels Corp., alleging the Findlay hotel was negligent for failing to provide adequate security that led to the Jan. 31 attack…”

A newlywed who was stabbed inside a Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh International Airport hotel elevator during what police said was an attempted sexual assault sued the hotel’s parent company on Tuesday.

Michael Furman, 28, of Weirton, W.Va., is awaiting trial. The lawsuit states that Furman rode in the elevator with her, then put his hand over her mouth and pushed her against a wall. The woman fought back, freed herself and ran to her room when the elevator doors opened, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit states that hotel employees took five to 10 minutes to get to her room after she hit the emergency button on the phone.

Read more: Victim of attack takes Findlay hotel to court – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_765081.html#ixzz1chKZ4nod

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