Police Officer And High School Teacher Indicted For Promoting Prostitution In Suffolk County

SUFFOLK COUNTY POLICE OFFICER AND ISLIP HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER AMONG THOSE INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY PARTICIPATING IN A CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE THAT PROMOTED PROSTITUTION IN SUFFOLK COUNTY

Frank Saggio, Police Officer George Trimigliozzi, Islip Teacher Steven Arey, and Dana Ciardullo Allegedly Operated Two Brothels in Suffolk County Over a Period of Four Years

(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced the indictment of FRANK SAGGIO, GEORGE TRIMIGLIOZZI, STEVEN AREY, and DANA CIARDULLO, accused of Enterprise Corruption and Promoting Prostitution, among other charges, for allegedly running multiple brothels in Suffolk County.

“It is a sad day in law enforcement when a public servant is arrested. However, I made a commitment to this County that no one is above the law, and that includes those who are supposed to embody the best of public service,” said District Attorney Tierney. “The allegations in this indictment describe a long-term pattern of organized criminal activity and a shocking betrayal of public trust.”

According to the years-long investigation, between October 2019 and June 2024, SAGGIO was allegedly the leader of a criminal enterprise that profited from the systematic promotion of prostitution at two locations in Suffolk County. Members of the alleged Saggio Prostitution Enterprise include TRIMIGLIOZZI, an 18-year veteran of the Suffolk County Police Department; AREY, a 26-year employee of the Islip School District; and CIARDULLO, SAGGIO’s girlfriend.

Each of the criminal defendants are alleged to have unlawfully promoted prostitution by hiring sex workers, collecting proceeds of prostitution from sex workers known as “house fees,” and posting advertisements seeking patrons of prostitution. TRIMIGLIOZZI and AREY allegedly served as managers on SAGGIO’s behalf at a building located on Sunrise Highway in Holbrook known as the American Girls Spa “Suite 3.” The Sunrise Highway building also contained two additional brothels allegedly managed by SAGGIO: Spa “Suite 4” and Reiki for Healing “Suite 5.”

CIARDULLO, the fourth member of the alleged criminal enterprise, served as a manager on SAGGIO’s behalf at a location in West Babylon known as the Tunnel of Love.

The investigation further uncovered that an alleged robbery occurred at the American Girls Spa on March 19, 2021. TRIMIGLIOZZI, in his capacity as a manager of the brothel, was called by a sex worker who reported a customer had been robbed while waiting for prostitution services at the American Girls Spa. The sex worker further notified TRIMIGLIOZZI that police officers would be dispatched to the location in response to the prostitution customer’s call to 911.

TRIMIGLIOZZI, who was on duty as a police officer at the time, allegedly abandoned his assigned post in the Third Precinct without permission from the police department and drove at a speed nearing 90 miles per hour in his marked patrol car to the brothel in Holbrook, which was located in the confines of the Fifth Precinct. He then allegedly falsified paperwork with the police department in which he did not disclose his unauthorized response to the American Girls Spa in Holbrook. He also allegedly falsified the records of the police department by not disclosing to the department his outside employment as a manager in SAGGIO’s alleged criminal enterprise.

SAGGIO was also indicted on two counts of Sex Trafficking related to his alleged requirement that sex workers engage in prostitution in order to pay him a minimum amount of money each month. Specifically, he allegedly had sex workers who could not read or speak in English sign purported leases which required them to (1) pay $6,000 per month at Suite 4, and (2) $12,000 per month at Tunnel of Love.3

On October 15, 2024, the defendants were each arraigned on the indictment before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei.

SAGGIO, 60, of West Islip, is charged with:

 One count of Enterprise Corruption, a Class B felony;

 Two counts of Sex Trafficking, a Class B felony; and

 51 counts of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, a Class D felony.

Justice Mazzei ordered SAGGIO held on $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond or $5,000,000 partially secured bond during the pendency of the case. SAGGIO is due back in court on December 9, 2024, and faces 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top count. He is represented by Anthony LaPinta, Esq.

TRIMIGLIOZZI, 55, of Islip, is charged with:

 One count of Enterprise Corruption, a Class B felony;

 13 counts of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, Class D felonies;

 Two counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, Class E felonies;

 One count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a Class E felony;

and

 One count of Official Misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor. Justice Mazzei ordered TRIMIGLIOZZI held on $25,000 cash, $50,000 bond or $500,000 partially secured bond during the pendency of the case. TRIMIGLIOZZI is due back in court on December 9, 2024, and faces 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top count. He is represented by William Keahon, Esq.

AREY, 53, of Islip, is charged with:

 One count of Enterprise Corruption, a Class B felony; and

 27 counts of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, Class D felonies.

Justice Mazzei ordered AREY held $25,000 cash, $50,000 bond or $500,000 partially secured bond during the pendency of the case.4

AREY is due back in court on December 9, 2024, and faces 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top count. He is represented by William Wexler, Esq.

CIARDULLO, 32, of North Bellmore, is charged with:

 One count of Enterprise Corruption, a Class B felony; and

 17 counts of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, Class D felonies.

Justice Mazzei ordered CIARDULLO held $25,000 cash, $50,000 bond or $500,000 partially secured bond during the pendency of the case. CIARDULLO is due back in court on December 9, 2024, and faces 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top count. She is represented by Jan Goldman, Esq.

This case is being prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Laura de Oliveira and Bureau Chief Kevin Ward of the Public Corruption Bureau. The investigation was conducted by investigators assigned to the District Attorney’s Public Corruption Squad.