11/20/2012

Suburban NYC mom sentenced in prostitution case

Andrew Kelly / Reuters

Anna Gristina sits in the Manhattan Supreme Court for sentencing in New York, Nov. 20, 2012.

By Brynn Gingras, NBCNewYork.com

NEW YORK -- The suburban mother of four accused of running an upscale escort service in Manhattan has been sentenced to time served after pleading guilty in late September to one count of promoting prostitution.

When a judge asked if she had anything to say in court Tuesday, Anna Gristina said, "It's probably better that I don't, Your Honor." 

The 44-year-old Gristina's guilty plea stemmed from a July 2011 tryst she allegedly arranged involving two women and an undercover officer posing as a client. She was arrested in February and spent four months behind bars, which covers the jail portion of her sentence. She also faces five years probation.


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Though she will not serve additional jail time, Gristina could face deportation to her native Scotland because she has pleaded guilty to committing a crime. Her attorney, Norm Pattis, said her legal team hasn't heard from federal officials on the matter at this point.

Prosecutors had said their five-year investigation revealed Gristina had a roster of wealthy, well-placed clients and boasted of law enforcement connections during 15 years in a business that made her millions.

She maintained she was merely starting a dating service. 

After Tuesday's sentencing, the Manhattan district attorney's office said in a statement, "There is nothing glamorous about prostitution. Anna Gristina rented women's bodies for profit, which makes her a pimp. That also makes her a felon, and the court has now issued that judgment. She has no one to blame but herself for her decisions."

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