By MATT THACKER
Matt.Thacker@newsandtribune.com
NEW ALBANY —
Two massage parlor owners appeared in Clark County Circuit Court No. 1 for an initial hearing Tuesday.
Jeanacarol Kaufman, 38, turned herself in Tuesday afternoon at the Michael L. Becher Adult Corrections Complex. She and her husband, Ivan Deleon, 36, were charged Friday morning with two counts each of class C felony promoting prostitution.
The couple from Floyds Knobs owned My Studio 1501 on North Shore Drive in Jeffersonville until it was shut down in August. Five women were arrested for class A misdemeanor prostitution after an undercover police sting.
The couple’s attorney, Bill Gray, entered preliminary pleas of not guilty and indicated he would file a motion to reduce bond. They are currently being held on $25,000 cash-only bond.
Clarksville Police Department detectives arrested Deleon on Friday morning at 1455 Cedar St., Suite D, where they claim he and Kaufman operate another massage parlor. On Feb. 3, “stop work” signs were placed at the entrances to the business — identified as “Natural Healing of Kentuckiana — because the owners were allegedly operating it without a required permit from the town.
However, police say it was obvious they had removed the signs and continued to operate as a massage parlor. New “stop work” notices were placed on the doors.
Police do not know whether prostitution occurred in Clarksville. The criminal charges relate to the investigation of My Studio 1501.
According to a probable-cause affidavit, Deleon and Kaufman employed men to train, provide legal advice and transport female workers to out-call massage sessions.
Several women described a man named “Troy” coaching them to have sexual interaction with clients.
Kaufman and Deleon face two to eight years in prison for each count if convicted.
