Oregon Man Sentenced to 77 Months in Federal Prison For Laundering Prostitution Monies
Las Vegas, Nev. - A Portland, Oregon man was sentenced today to 77 months in prison for laundering the proceeds of an interstate prostitution business, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
JONATHAN DUKE FLAKE, aka Caribbean, aka Corey Robinson, aka Brandon Cashman, age 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roger L. Hunt, who also ordered FLAKE to pay a $15,000 fine and serve three years of supervised release. FLAKE pleaded guilty in May to one count of Money Laundering. He admitted that he ran an interstate prostitution business that recruited young women in Portland, Oregon, and sent them to work as prostitutes in Las Vegas, Nevada. The prostitutes provided FLAKE their prostitution earnings through wire transfers and deposits to a bank account owned by Portland, Oregon attorney Cheryl Chadwick. Chadwick then paid for things of value for FLAKE, including attorney fees, car payments and rent payments.
Specifically, FLAKE admitted that he met a 17-year-old girl while she was in high school in Oregon and convinced her to work for him as a prostitute. FLAKE transported her to Las Vegas, where she worked for him as a prostitute in October 2001. FLAKE use physical force, fraud, and coercion to get her to work as a prostitute, and required her to give him all of the monies she earned. During this period of time, FLAKE had no legitimate job or source of income.
Cheryl Chadwick pleaded guilty in May to money laundering, and is awaiting sentencing. Two female prostitutes, Mearenet Biadegelegne and Breanna Nelson, were also charged and convicted. Biadegelegne pleaded guilty in May 2005 to Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments and was sentenced today by Judge Hunt to three years probation. Breanna Nelson pleaded guilty in March 2004 to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, and was sentenced on July 11, 2005, to three years probation.
This case is being investigated by Special Agents with IRS Criminal Investigation and Detectives with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Portland Police Bureau, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nancy J. Koppe.
