Mom and son used real estate business as front for prostitution empire, cops say

A Florida man and his mother jointly ran a sprawling prostitution ring for nearly a quarter-century, washing hundreds of thousands of dollars via various front companies and real estate purchases, according to police, who nabbed the pair as they allegedly prepared to flee the country.

“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,” states a probable cause affidavit attached to an arrest warrant filed in Broward County Circuit Court.

Many of the escorts working for the mother-son team were registered as real estate agents and had valid real estate licenses, the 103-page affidavit contends.

Jelavic, 48, and von Lambert, 70, were arrested on September 11 and 12, respectively, shortly after Jelavic bought plane tickets to Brazil in the middle of the night, the affidavit says. They are both detained on felony charges of money laundering and deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution, and, if they come up with bail money —  six-figure sums for each — the two will have to prove to a judge that the funds are not linked to any illicit activity.

Reached by phone on Monday, Von Lambert’s husband, Joseph Fordyce, who is not facing criminal charges but is named in the affidavit, said he wasn’t ready to talk about the case.

“I think it’s premature to discuss anything,” Fordyce told The Independent. “I don’t want to comment.”

Mike Weisse, who is also not charged in the alleged crime ring but was involved with Jelavic in a construction business also mentioned in the affidavit, was equally circumspect, saying, “I cannot talk right now. Call me some other time.”

Jelavic does not have an attorney listed in court records and was unable to be reached for comment. Von Lambert’s lawyer, Gary Ostrow, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Local ABC affiliate WPLG was first to report on the case.

The mother-son duo went into business in 2000, and have been targeted by investigators multiple times in the past, but have never been prosecuted until now, according to the affidavit. Their primary company, Pretty Woman Escorts, offered Latin American and European women for $300-$400 an hour, the affidavit states.

“Good things come in tiny packages,” reads one ad on Pretty Woman’s website. “This tiny 5’-foot-2 Colombian is waiting for you.”

“I am a [sic] Asian/ Latina…I take extreme pride in myself and my appearance,” another says. “I am always impeccably groomed and dress for any occasion.”

“Do you have a desire for a woman who will mesmerize you, allure you, and invite you with her touch, charisma, charm, intelligence, and sensuality?” says a third. “I make it my mission to ensure the time we spend together will make you forget about the outside world.”

An investigation launched in January found the business was hidden behind a front company, Boca Art Studios, according to the affidavit. A law enforcement review of von Lambert’s bank accounts showed large deposits from Boca, as well as money coming in from Social Security, the affidavit states.

Checks written against the account showed various payments for vague purposes, such as “home remodeling,” “loan for construction,” “IPH School, refund travel expenses,” and multiple checks for “bathroom remodeling,” according to the affidavit, which lists Fordyce, von Lambert’s husband, as one of the regular recipients. Police managed to insert an undercover operative, posing as a driver, who got further information about the alleged goings-on.

Von Lambert advertised herself as a “real estate broker, artist & designer,” showing works on her website with names such as “Homage to Picasso.”

Jelavic purchased millions of dollars worth of real estate, through von Lambert, but employment records showed an income of only $3,000 per quarter, the affidavit says.

“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,” according to the affidavit.

In one surveillance operation conducted in February, a team of detectives from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office tailed a Brazilian woman being driven by her husband from Pretty Woman to her next outcall appointment, according to the warrant. It says they pulled up to an upscale condominium complex on a golf course in Pompano Beach shortly before 9 p.m., and the sex worker entered a ground-floor apartment while her husband waited outside in the car.

One of the detectives got out and walked toward the back of the building, where he was able to see in through the curtain-less windows, the affidavit states. He watched as the “male subject began massaging the female’s head and sniffing her hair,” the affidavit continues. “After a few minutes, he directed the female to the bedroom… After she took her clothing off, the male subject turned off the lights… [and] the female was observed having sexual intercourse with the male.”

Another officer on the scene spotted “an exchange of cash between the buyer and the escort,” the affidavit alleges.

A 4 a.m. trash pull at one of Pretty Woman’s dispatch locations turned up a list of customers’ names and contacts, along with the services they booked. Detectives staking out the spot also saw Jelavic lugging a heavy duffel bag they believe was loaded with cash, according to the affidavit, which accuses him of carrying out “bulk currency transfers.”

A separate trash pull found, among other things, a pregnancy test, an empty box of condoms, and “[n]umerous paper towels and feminine hygiene products (like vagisile [sic]), which are not consistent with a business that portrays itself as selling ‘art pieces,’” the affidavit goes on.

One of the drivers shuttling escorts to their appointments was an 88-year-old man, according to the affidavit.

In late July, Jelavic “expresse[d] deep frustration and stress to his mother about his ongoing issues with his business,” the affidavit says, citing a conversation overheard by a confidential informant during which Jelavic said he was experiencing “frustration and feelings of being overwhelmed.”

That same night, Jelavic told one of his workers that he was very upset with an escort-in-training, who had accidentally sent a mass text to all of Pretty Woman’s clients, according to the affidavit. The foul-up forced a complete shutdown of the business for a time — the affidavit does not say for how long — and Jelavic went on to complain about how stressed out he had become after 25 years of it.

At the same time, a Broward County detective confirmed Pretty Woman was still operating as usual, requesting an escort who “provided full service,” the affidavit states. After recommending one particular sex worker, the Pretty Woman booker instead steered the detective to “Marcella,” who she said “would be the better option for the services [the detective] was requesting,” according to the affidavit.

Jelavic and von Lambert did not know their communications were being monitored by authorities, who included several of their conversations in the affidavit. On August 23, 2024, Jelavic told his mom he wants to buy a home in Croatia, which the affidavit says “hints at plans to move or hide assets internationally.”

Two weeks later, Jelavic spoke with a former Pretty Woman escort and told her “that he is going to prison for money laundering, organized crime, and other serious offenses,” according to the affidavit, which says Jelavic also said his mom was going to be locked up too, as she “has helped with” his illicit activities.

“Jelavic discusses further going away to prison and communicates his farewell to [the former escort],” the affidavit states.

That evening, Jelavic called another Pretty Woman associate and told him that the police had “seized all his assets, and that he will be going to prison,” according to the affidavit.

“Jelavic advises that he was planning on quitting the business, selling the office, and moving on,” the affidavit states. “Jelavic wanted to tell [the associate] his good bye’s [sic] and that he hopes he survives this.”

At 3 a.m. on September 7, Jelavic drove his white BMW 680i to Miami International Airport, where he bought plane tickets for himself and his wife to two different cities in Brazil, according to the affidavit. A few hours later, Jelavic’s wife and mother joined him at the airport. Cops believe the three were “attempting to flee the State of Florida,’ the affidavit says.

It is unclear how authorities kept Jelavic and von Lambert off the flights, but Jelavic was arrested on September 11 and von Lambert on September 12, according to booking records. They were both ordered to turn in their passports, the affidavit states.

Jelavic and von Lambert are scheduled to be arraigned on October 2.