A petite, green-eyed madam who bragged she made millions running a brothel in New York City has been charged following a five-year investigation into her business.
Anna Gristina, 44, a mother of four, was indicted on Feb. 22 by a Manhattan grand jury for promoting prostitution, DNAinfo.com,a local Manhattan blog, reported. Prosecutors say they have nearly a hundred hours of audio and visual surveillance that demonstrate Gristina paired prostitutes – some underage – with influential men out of a brothel based in a building on East 78th Street.
In the tapes, court records say, she admits to making millions during her 15 years as a madam.
Gristina was arrested while working with a Morgan Stanley banker who was helping her, court documents say.
A judge levied a $2 million bail because prosecutors worried that she was a flight risk given her British passport and network of wealthy clients.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News


let her rot, having kids turn tricks......Makes me sick
First use RICO to seize her assets and then hope that some sleazy lawyer with a penchant for thirteen year old prostitutes does not get her off.
No wonder why Romney was a little nervous this week..that campaign visit last month to the NYC Hilton hotel is trouble.
mike277.....
That comment is totally DISGUSTING.
I hope the moderator terminates you for a month.
"Anna Gristina, 44, was indicted on Feb. 22 by a Manhattan grand jury on a single charge of promoting prostitution"
A couple of questions: "One count?" Is this a strategy? Also, it's a fine line but, what is "underage" in this instance? Under 21, 18? And along those lines, this was a FIVE YEAR investigation. Does that mean that it took five years before an "underage" female was used or......during the first few years did the investigators just turn their heads when "underage" girls were being used for several years thereafter.
If girls younger than 18 were used.....hammer the madam. Otherwise, realistically......was there a "victim" here that resulted in a crime?
@Ido....
Lighten up... He was joking.
Does she have any daughters? Would she want this kind of life for them? Would she want her sons paying for sex? What an awful person.
There will just be another to fill the vacuum. Remember the Mayflower Madam?
I was going to let her slide until the words "under age" came up, but now she can go burn.
Exactly what I was thinking. Why should anyone care if two consenting ADULTS agree to exchange money for sex? Prostitution itself should be legal, however, underage prostitution and human trafficking should warrant the harshest of sentences.
I agree. Prostitution is legal in many countries, and where it is, they are a controlled service and had to meet stringent medical and location requirements. The crime rates in those countries are much lower than ours. I wonder if there is some correlation?
How about arresting some of those rich johns especially the ones that went after those that were too young.
"Five-year investigation" .... probably just enough time for the rich johns to cover their asses.
Too many politicans and judges will be willing to fight for this madams "right" to not tell on them.
Seize her assets and lock her up, People like this won't learn, Also put her on house arrest or probation under close watch. I'm guessing they're already looking for these sick men considering her "employees" were underage. Only time will know what happens, I just want to see her face so society can know what type of sick monster it's harboring.
Prostitution should be legal! I don't need government telling me how to spend my $. Esp when there's so much spending waste/greed of the tax payers $ going into space. Use my taxes to fight real crime.
spoken like a true nympho
What's real crime to you??
I hope you are referring to prostitution in general and not this case, because there's underaged children involved.
A 15 year long investigation is ridiculous. It's even more absurd she couldn't figure out within that time span she was being setup by the feds. She was kinda low on street smarts for a madam, if you ask me.
It was five.
What's more ridiculous is that it took the government 5 years to bring a case and how many of the "influential" customers were arrested?
How "far out of a brothel" did Gristina pair prostitutes - some underage- with influential men? The language is being destroyed by writers like those in msnbc.com's staff.
Wow, with the influential men, hey how can we define this term of the 'influential men'?
Running a brothel, they cannot just get the madam and they have to get the "influential men." It is the rich influential men have extra money/cash to spend and have extra time to spend and have no worry. The only thing to stop the future business of brothel is to stop the clients: the influential men. It becomes a warning to those rich John Doe.
Prostitution? Prostitution? Constitution? It should be legal beyond reproach. Across the board sex is great. And is not the problem.
Especially if your underage daughter is one of the prostitutes turning tricks. I'd rather it not be mine. While it does seem less than intelligent to try to eradicate "the world's oldest profession" I draw the line at pedophilia, but I guess you're far more enlightened than me.
Those wishing prostitution legal can just rot in hell. Go after the girl buyers!!
Amen. Real men don't buy girls.
So you're wise enough to tell all women what to do with their own bodies?
The oldest profession in the world, and sometimes the most lucrative. I must admit some trepidation over this issue. But if we as a society want freedom to use contraceptives, based on the notion that it is a woman's right, can we then tell a woman she can't have sex for money. I am totally against forcing any under-age woman into prostitution. But once a woman turns 18, she can fight and die for her country. How can we then turn around and basically tell her who she can have sex with and weather she has the right to ask for a few bucks for it. And there is the hypocritical problem of we only are arresting the women. These "influential" men always seem to get off scott free. Many European countries have dealt with this issue effectively, I don't see why we can't catch up with the 21st century and do the same. Make sure the women get regular health screenings, that safe sex is practiced, and that they are paying their fair share of taxes on the income they make. I know the right wingers will have a fit over this, but we have to come out of the "dark ages" in the country. We have far more pressing problems that prostitution in this country.
Well, the bible thumpers won't go for legal prostitution, because they want to make sure everyone has their moral beliefs. Yes, Europe has legal prostitution, has for ages, but this country is so far backwards in many things.
I also thought the pugbags were all for capitalism. Isn't prostitution (legal age) capitalism? Have a product, sell same product to people.
Sex for money should be legal. Heck, it's legal to give it away for free.
In fact, it's perfectly legal to have sex for money so long as you have somebody filming it. Figure that one out.
Consenting adults should be allowed to do whatever they want involving their naughty bits and their money.
Children, on the other hand, like this madam was pimping out, are NOT consenting adults.
less the madam than the so called authorities who allowed it to happen on film and failed to act the moment it was determined that it was going to happen
She filled a nitch, I'm sad for her. Tax them, regulate them and let them do what they want; Freedom, a concept.
I imagine MS was assisting her in an IPO.
Hmm...I wonder how many pot heads are up in arms about prostitution...seems like 'Mary-Jane' should be legalized so the government can control the 'quality' as well as collect taxes from the proceeds. I don't partake of either forms of 'Mary-Jane' but you never know...my pain in the ass wife could force me to start using 'Mary-Jane'...the two legged variety. And no, I never have and never will condone human trafficking or minors being involved in this business in any way. If an adult wishes to use her\his body to make money that is their business, not mine or any one else's...now if a madam\pimp profits from it, send in the IRS and get them off my a$$. I think I'm gonna surf craigslist now....goodnight.
Wonder what the reaction would be if the brother served gay men only?
Anyone who would exploit a child is scum....but on the other hand what is the full story here? exactly how old where these so called children? where they a few months shy from being 18 or 10 year old girls? Ive seen girls who are 16 years old and look,act and dress like they are over 21. Until we get the full story lets not past judgement on this woman. But if they were girls/women and they consented to this kind of work the only problem I see here is that the law wants a piece of the pie $$$$$$$ and they are sure getting it with the 2 million bail.
Is being paid for porn prostitution? Remember the word "under age" had no meaning during colonial times in this country. 13 years of age was readily acceptable by all to marry. We are now a nation considering age 21 now as still under aged as more and more neglected living at home kids cannot move out and make a living just so we can cover them with insurance till they are 26 years of age. Is 26 soon to be "under age"? Americans are the most easiest people to brain wash into believing anything.
an underage girl ( under 18) was raped by an adult on film and the authorities failed to act the very instant it was determined that it was happening?? who allowed this to happen?? how was this allowed to happen? i think the crime here is those in charge failing to act to protect this child.
im all for consenting adults blah, blah, blah but this is a major failure on the part of the investigators
Manhattan madam who made millions jailed on $2 million bail. Its about time. The lowlife deserves Life ..
This sounds like a good use of tax dollars, five years investigation for one charge. The tax payers had to buy alot of doughnuts in five years. I am not saying that she should not have been shut down just why did it take five years.
If she indeed used underaged women then hang her. If not, doesn't New York city have better ways to spend taxpayers money?
Lucas, I agree that if she used underaged women, hang her. Is this a concept of capitalism that the bible thumpers don't like? What's wrong if a woman decides to sell herself? A lot of women have done that before, and will continue to do so. Another freedom being taken away from the people.
And shouldn't Rush limpdick be charged, he wanted to view sex tapes. He said so on the air. Hard to figure out why these pugbags think the way they do. It's one thing to be conserveative, it's another to be a wingnut.
I like womens body nice and squishy and soft...they also have nice feet. I do like thier feet in high heels.