JAIL'S NEXT, PIMP
But ex-cop already applying for new gig
A retired NYPD officer who pleaded guilty to running a high-end escort service is sinking his teeth into a new business venture — a decidedly more wholesome “mobile food-delivery app,” he told a judge Thursday. But first he’ll have to serve a year and three months behind bars. Michael Rizzi, who got a break when Brooklyn federal Judge Carol Bagley Amon sentenced him to the lesser end of the up-tofour years guideline prosecutors recommended, says he created and developed the new endeavor with his 11-year-old son. Rizzi honed his business acumen while masterminding and running a multimillion-dollar prostitution ring for johns who shelled out as much as $20,000 a night. He pleaded guilty in October. Rizzi touted the ladies on nearly 60 Web sites, under names like Plushplaymates.com, Eliteclubnyc.com and Hotmodelsnyc.com.
The beefy ex-cop hugged hoards of family and friends who turned out to support him Thursday after he tearfully told Judge Amon he had “no one to blame” but himself.
“I want to apologize to my wife and children,” said Rizzi, 46, who allegedly got business advice from “Luv Gov” Eliot Spitzer’s former madam.
Rizzi met former “Manhattan Madam” Kristin Davis at an event, she’s formerly said, and immediately started trying to ply her for information on how to be a hooker booker. Davis said she brushed him off, since she was no longer heading the famous service alleged to have served the likes of Eliot Spitzer, Alex Rodriguez and David Beckham.
Choking up in court, Rizzi said he was “terrified” his parents would die while he was imprisoned.
Rizzi said he had been devoting much of his time to caring for his aging parents, as well as his in-laws — which include reputed Gambino soldier Richard Giuliano Jr.
Rizzi’s wife Jill, who was in court, is also the niece of Joseph Giuliano, a reputed Gambino capo.
“I want to put this in my past,” he said.
Judge Amon called the case “difficult” and noted how Rizzi’s NYPD service — which ended following an onthe-job back injury — made his sentencing more complex.
“It cuts both ways,” she said before sentencing Rizzi to 15 months in prison, three years of supervised release and four months of home detention.