A 46-year-old man has been indicted for allegedly running a brothel out of his Brooklyn apartment, according to District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
David Blakis, an employee of the MTA, was arraigned on Friday in Brooklyn Supreme Court, where he was officially charged with multiple counts of promoting and permitting prostitution, the DA said.
“The alleged illegal brothel that the defendant was operating in a residential building caused numerous disruptions for tenants concerned about their well-being,” Gonzalez said. “I am committed to responding to complaints from neighbors concerned about maintaining their quality of life and safety.”
Investigators began looking into Blakis’ alleged brothel after receiving a tip in February of 2023 from a neighbor, who complained about the bordello being run out of an apartment at 1083 Manhattan Ave. in Greenpoint.
Shortly after hearing the complaint, an NYPD officer went undercover and went to the apartment — where he was offered sexual intercourse in exchange for $200, prosecutors said.
After confirming the sex-for-money operation, a police field team raided the brothel and arrested two female workers on Feb. 11.
During the operation, authorities noted signs throughout the apartment reading “Tip the Ladies,” along with other suggestive writing.
The building’s landlord, meanwhile, handed over surveillance video from the lobby, which showed numerous women coming and going at all hours of the night — along with several men turning up at the location, while often staying for short periods of time.
Prosecutors alleged that the female employees also stored their personal belongings inside the apartment directly adjacent to the brothel — which was home to the defendant’s mother.
After the initial raid, which resulted in just two lower-level arrests, the brothel temporarily shuttered — but reopened soon after.
On Nov. 1 of 2023, another undercover NYPD officer buzzed the apartment’s door, and was quickly offered oral sex with a woman in exchange for $65.
Just 10 days later, the NYPD obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s apartment, and raided the location to find Blakis, along with one woman engaged in sexual activities with a man, and another female who attempted to flee through the fire escape.
Authorities confiscated various electronic devices, which provided significant evidence that Blakis had been the mastermind behind the operation. They also recovered around $5,000 cash, chica cards, and a 2023 calendar with women’s names on various dates.
Blakis was arrested over a year after the DA’s office received the initial tip, and he was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on Friday.
The defendant was released while awaiting trial, and was ordered to return to court on May 8.
This story first appeared on amNewYork.
