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After 24 years of running an illegal escort service, mother-son crime duo Margareta von Lambert and Christopher Jelavic have been busted for using von Lambert’s real estate and art businesses to launder their profits. Von Lambert, 70, and Jelavic, 48, were arrested on Sept. 11, several days after attempting to charter a flight to Brazil.
“Many investigations have been initiated on [Pretty Woman Escorts] however none have been successful at disrupting or dismantling [it],” Broward Sheriff’s Office Detective Jairo Barrera wrote in a 100-page arrest warrant, according to The Independent. “Based on… intelligence gathered, and evidence obtained from records, there is reason to believe that Margareta von Lambert is using her Florida Realtor’s License to facilitate the laundering of illicit proceeds for her son, Christopher Jelavic.”
Jelavic owned and operated Pretty Woman Escort Services, where he sold the services of European and South American sex workers for $300 to $400 per hour. The women worked 12-hour shifts from 6 pm to 5 am, the warrant said, and were under contracts where they gave 45 percent of their earnings to Jelavic.
Von Lambert helped Jelavic launder those earnings by saying the women worked for her at Boca Art Studios, which allegedly offered home design, home remodeling, and home sales services. Von Lambert helped the escorts get real estate licenses, so their earnings could be deposited into Von Lambert’s bank account for vague real estate-related services.
Von Lambert also brokered multiple luxury real estate purchases for her son, totaling in the millions. However, Von Lambert’s bank accounts only showed commission earnings of $3,000 per quarter.
“What is noticeable when examining Margareta von Lambert’s bank accounts is the lack of financial transactions of real estate activity for an account associated with a real estate business and the lack of financial transactions of art studio activity for an account associated with an art studio business,” the warrant read.
Jelavic’s attempt to purchase an estate in Croatia hastened authorities’ arrest efforts, as texts between the mother-son duo showed paranoia about police surveillance. In one of the texts, Jelavic said he was experiencing “frustration and feelings of being overwhelmed” and feared he’d soon be going “to prison for money laundering, organized crime, and other serious offenses.”
“The desire to purchase property in Croatia hints at plans to move or hide assets internationally,” the warrant read.
Von Lambert, Jelavic and his wife attempted to leave the country on Sept. 7; however, authorities stopped them from boarding the flight. The mother and son were arrested five days later and charged with two counts of money laundering of more than $100,000 in a 12-month period and deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution.
Both charges carry a $500,000 bond.
