Florida authorities suspect that a New Orleans lawyer who was the target of an alleged extortion plot by a male escort he had invited to his hotel room was first drugged and raped by the escort in California. However, they say they can't book the defendant, 25-year-old Terrill "Dream" Lewis of Titusville, Fla, with a sex crime because the alleged assault occurred in California, outside of their jurisdiction.
The alleged extortion took place in Florida, and to date, that's the only crime Lewis has been booked with.
Larry Zwieg, the Orlando Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation's director, says he does not know whether the New Orleans lawyer has filed a rape complaint with police in California. It's unclear from available documents which jurisdiction the alleged assault occurred in.
Since the lawyer may have been the victim of a rape -- referred to as sexual battery in Florida -- state law protects the alleged victim's identity, Zwieg said. In fact, Zwieg added, Florida's 9th Judicial Circuit Court has issued an order prohibiting authorities from releasing the lawyer's identifying information. Had the lawyer simply been the victim of an extortion plot, his identity would not be kept secret.
The lawyer admitted to police that he summoned the escort to his hotel room. But he suggested to Florida authorities that he passed out after the two drank wine in his hotel room and was raped while he was incapacitated. Lewis allegedly tried to extort the lawyer using compromising photographs and video footage of the lawyer and the escort together.
The bizarre case has created a buzz in the city's legal community, with rumors flying about the identity of the local lawyer - described in a police report in part as a prominent New Orleans attorney, businessman and race car driver.
The speculation has been so rampant that New Orleans lawyer and race car driver John Houghtaling II -- the subject of some of the rumors -- took the extraordinary measure of obtaining a signed letter from Zwieg stating that Houghtaling has never been "a victim, or a suspect, in any investigation conducted by the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation."
According to a police report, the alleged extortion victim says he was in California conducting personal business between Aug. 24 and Aug. 26. He intended to return to New Orleans but didn't due to the threat of Hurricane Isaac, so he decided to go to Los Angeles on Aug. 27 and wait the storm out.
While in Los Angeles, the lawyer "called for the companionship of an escort" named "Dream" that he met on www.eros.com, an adult website, the report states. The escort was later determined to be Lewis. At about 9 p.m. on Aug. 27, "Dream" arrived at the lawyer's hotel room, and the two talked and drank wine.
The victim told authorities that he went to the bathroom several times and then returned to "Dream" and continued talking. Zwieg says his agents think it was when the lawyer was in the bathroom that his wine was drugged.
The lawyer told police he woke up the next morning to find Lewis gone. He was left with soreness and a severe hangover. He found two used condoms in the bathroom. According to the lawyer, a text had been sent from his phone to Lewis' saying: "Thanks it was a great time."
The victim said he soon began receiving texts and phone calls from "Dream," who threatened to distribute videos and pictures of the two men having sex if he was not paid $100,000. The lawyer initially paid Lewis $4,000 to keep quiet, and arranged to meet him in Orlando to give him the rest. Then he contacted the MBI there for help.
When Lewis and the lawyer met at a bar on Oct. 9, authorities say they recorded the escort telling the lawyer he was there to collect $100,000 in exchange for the compromising images and video. Officials showed up, detained Lewis and jailed him in Orange County, Fla., the incident report states.
Lewis remained in custody Wednesday morning. His bail was set at $2,500 on the extortion count, but he is being held without bond on an unspecified, out-of-county warrant, records indicate. He is ineligible to post bond because of a violation of probation in a neighboring county, Zwieg said, noting that Lewis has six felony convictions and arrests, a number of which are fraud-related, Zwieg said.
Zwieg said his agency couldn't book the lawyer with solicitation because it is not clear if any money was exchanged for sex.
"We don't have probable cause to make an arrest for something like that," Zwieg said. "It didn't happen in our jurisdiction. And that was not the focus of our investigation."
Source: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/10/florida_authorities_suspect_ne.html
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