Years for cop pimp
Ex-Finest takes plea in hooker-betting ring to spare wife more jail
A hooker-happy ex-NYPD detective accepted a long prison stretch to spare his family the same fate.
Former vice squad detective Ludwig Paz, in a plea deal to protect his wife and two daughters, was sentenced Tuesday to four to 12 years behind bars as the kingpin of a $2 million-a-year gambling and prostitution empire.
Queens Supreme Court Judge Ronald Hollie imposed the prearranged sentence for Paz after Assistant District Attorney Bradley Chain explained that Paz took a deal in exchange for a 364-day sentence for his wife and misdemeanor counts with conditional discharges for his daughters over their roles in the sordid family business.
His partner-in-crime/ spouse Arelis Peralta wept as Paz offered an apology for his bad behavior before he was led away in an orange inmate uniform, his hands cuffed behind his back.
“I want to apologize to the court, the DA’s office and the NYPD for my wrongful behavior,” began Paz, 51, of Queens. “I want to apologize and say sorry and ask for forgiveness to my family for my actions and all the pain and suffering that I’ve caused them.”
Weeping wife Peralta, 43, was released May 21 on a sentence of time served as part of the deal involving her husband.
“I’m just devastated,” said Peralta after the hearing, where she was accompanied by the couple’s 12-year-old son who has special needs. Peralta — her nails painted yellowgreen, her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses — then led the child to the courthouse elevator.
“Come on, baby,” she told him. “You ain’t gonna see daddy any more.”
Prosecutors said one of the daughters served as a jack of all trades for the family business, helping out wherever needed, while the second collected gambling cash.
Paz recruited seven activeduty police officers to assist his illegal enterprise, with the cops delivering word of any impending raids or undercover busts. He pleaded guilty to attempted enterprise corruption and promoting prostitution.
Prosecutors say Paz operated brothels in Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island after retiring from the NYPD, regularly delivering $500 payoffs to a Brooklyn vice cop to avoid NYPD interference. Other cops received bribes of cash or discounts on the $160-an-hour rate for sex with Paz’s prostitutes.
Defense attorney Frank Kelly, after asking for Paz’s inclusion in a state corrections program that could free him after just a year in prison, said his client was at peace with his choice.
“He got more time than we originally had worked out in order to save his wife and two daughters,” said Kelly. “He did the right thing by his family.”