Wife of $1M Powerball winner charged with promoting prostitution

Jun 6, 2014, 2:26 pm (35 comments)

Powerball

RANKIN, Pa. — The Rankin, Pennsylvania, police officer who bought a $1 million Powerball ticket is named in a police complaint against his wife, Jennifer Brown, who faces charges, including promoting prostitution through an Internet site called sixtynineentertainment.com.

The allegations stem from an FBI and local investigation into Internet prostitution from late 2012 through last June.

The Powerball winner, Officer Matthew Brown, was not charged, but he was named in the police complaint.

Among ads for lap dances and strip teases, court documents say the adult entertainment agency posted Internet ads on Pittsburgh Backpage Escort, a site where prostitutes solicit customers.

The complaint said the website is "known by law enforcement as a site where known female, male and transsexual prostitutes post ads soliciting for customer/johns."

Jennifer Brown's attorney, David Shrager, said his client has pleaded not guilty, and that the case lacks evidence and they're waiting for their day in court.

Shrager: "She worked scheduling bachelor parties, and these were meant to be legitimate bachelor parties that go on every day."

Reporter: "No prostitution?"

Shrager: "No prostitution."

Investigators said employees told them the Browns worked for sixtynineentertainment.com, with Jennifer Brown serving as the manager/scheduler who ran daily operations and Matthew Brown as the driver/security.

Reporter: "Winning the lottery puts them in the spotlight. Is that bittersweet because of the criminal allegations here?"

Shrager: "Bittersweet is a wonderful way of putting it. They would rather not have the money and have their good names back. This has been an emotional roller coaster for them, to say the least."

According to the police complaint, sixtynineentertainment.com employees provided information, saying, "Often drivers and employees would meet at Jen and Matt Brown's house ... waiting for appointments ... it was common knowledge Matt Brown was a police officer."

The complaint says the agency's owner listed Matt Brown in his phone as "police officer and employee of 69 Entertainment."

While investigators say Matthew Brown's Comcast account was used to post ads on PittsburghBackpage.com, Shrager says others had access to it, too.

"No evidence of illegal activity at their home," said Shrager.

"It's surprising, very surprising. I wasn't aware of this," said Rankin Police Chief Ryan Wooten.

Wooten said he hired Matthew Brown about a year ago before Brown's name showed up in the police complaint against his wife.

"I mean, I did his background check. I'm going to say that's unfounded. I'm pretty sure that's unfounded. I mean, you're going to have the good and bad. He's blessed with a lot of money. So someone is going to throw something negative in there, and that's the negative part," said Wooten.
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When Pittsburgh's Action News 4 asked Matthew Brown about winning the lottery, he said, "I'll talk to you later."

Shrager said Brown plans to use the lottery winnings to invest in their children.

Pennsylvania Lottery spokesman Gary Miller said, after federal taxes, Matthew Brown will have $750,000.

Matthew Brown is still an active officer, and Wooten said Brown plans to stay on the force.

According to Allegheny County, Brown previously served with Allegheny County police from December 2002 through May 2013. The county would not say the reason for his departure, but when Pittsburgh's Action News 4 asked Wooten about it, he said, "It was mutual."

Moon Township police, City of Pittsburgh Vice Unit and the FBI Human Trafficking Joint Task Force were part of the investigation.

An FBI representative could not "confirm or deny whether an investigation is still going on."

Moon Township Police Chief McCarthy said his detectives did not not "have enough to charge Brown with anything."

Thanks to dpoly1 for the tip.

WTAE

Comments

mrcraft's avatarmrcraft

The most surprising part of this story is Rankin Police Chief Ryan Wooten's comments.  So, the Moon Township police, City of Pittsburgh Vice Unit and the FBI is the "someone" that is "going to throw something negative in there"?

lejardin's avatarlejardin

Wtheck?  I must be missing somethng here, good grief.

Shelby Mustang

Nothing like having to use your lottery winnings for bail and defense lawyers LOL

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Dang all their money is going to be spent on attorneys.  WOW!!!!!

mypiemaster's avatarmypiemaster

The folks at 69 and affiliated .coms,  probably thank you for the free publicity. Traffic at their sites will increase exponentially, until shutdown by the cops.

noise-gate

Talk about the wife allegedly looking at a Great return on her investment. 

* l am surprised Todd named the website..lol

Todd's avatarTodd

They are already shut down.  There is no advertisement.

Teddi's avatarTeddi

Quote: Originally posted by Shelby Mustang on Jun 6, 2014

Nothing like having to use your lottery winnings for bail and defense lawyers LOL

Yup. I was thinking the same thing. They might as well have handed the winning ticket over to the lawyer directly. He's the one that won. They were just the facilitators.

Artist77's avatarArtist77

Quote: Originally posted by Teddi on Jun 6, 2014

Yup. I was thinking the same thing. They might as well have handed the winning ticket over to the lawyer directly. He's the one that won. They were just the facilitators.

Teddi, he or "she" is the one who won....

golfer1960's avatargolfer1960

sex workers rights

 

I'm not a liberal but prostitution should be legal anyway. It's like a community service. If it were legal, these winners wouldn't have to spend a dime on lawyers.

Just think of all the women who complain that men stare at them, make unwelcome advances towards them and sexually harrass them. All of  that would disappear if prostitution were legal.

No?

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by golfer1960 on Jun 6, 2014

sex workers rights

 

I'm not a liberal but prostitution should be legal anyway. It's like a community service. If it were legal, these winners wouldn't have to spend a dime on lawyers.

Just think of all the women who complain that men stare at them, make unwelcome advances towards them and sexually harrass them. All of  that would disappear if prostitution were legal.

No?

All of it would disappear? - Not Really. 

There are lots of ugly prostitutes out there, the idea that the eyeballing of fine non prostitutes females would stop is wishful thinking.  Sexual harassment is ugly but both Men & Woman stare at the opposite sex even though many are married. One should know when they close or about to cross the line- and cease and desist immediately.

Artist77's avatarArtist77

Golfer, would you want your daughter to go into that "profession?" The women in that "profession" have a high use of drugs, etc. because they feel like dirt and valueless. It is not a victimless "profession."

noise-gate

Quote: Originally posted by Artist77 on Jun 6, 2014

Golfer, would you want your daughter to go into that "profession?" The women in that "profession" have a high use of drugs, etc. because they feel like dirt and valueless. It is not a victimless "profession."

Golfer should pay a visit to San Francisco's Castro district or get in touch with the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence"..that should give him a wake up call.

Teddi's avatarTeddi

Quote: Originally posted by golfer1960 on Jun 6, 2014

sex workers rights

 

I'm not a liberal but prostitution should be legal anyway. It's like a community service. If it were legal, these winners wouldn't have to spend a dime on lawyers.

Just think of all the women who complain that men stare at them, make unwelcome advances towards them and sexually harrass them. All of  that would disappear if prostitution were legal.

No?

I used to watch those prostitutes at the Bunny Ranch on HBO and those women look very happy to me. However, what does prostitution (legal or not) have to do with non-hookers being sexually demeaned? Making prostitution legal isn't going to change men ogling or making unwanted advances on them. Regulating prostitution is only beneficial for streetwalkers (they'd be safer in that they could practice their profession openly instead of subversively/dangerously) and the government, because they could tax that income. But in no way is it going to change the general attitude of men and how they treat women. An @$$h0!e is always going to be an @$$h0!e regardless of the availability of prostitutes.

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