Washington State authorities charged a former stripper with allegedly running a prostitution ring and multi-million dollar money-laundering operation through a group of infamous bikini coffee stands, Vocativ reported on Sunday.
Carmela Panico, 52, served as the madam of a number of drive-through brothels that allowed her to take home more than $2 million in three years. The scantily clad baristas who worked at the Java Juggs and Twin Peaks coffee shops banked up to $30,000 a month by performing sexual acts with customers, according to prosecutors.
While some of the 130-plus stands that line the roads in Oregon and Washington have caused controversy in the past few years, Panico's remains the most infamous.
Surveillance footage from 2011 showed Panico and several other baristas pole-dancing at the Java Juggs while letting customers touch them. A further investigation showed that a sheriff's sergeant had been informing Panico and her employees about police activity in exchange for sexual favors.
Panico preferred to hire baristas who were former escorts or dancers. They paid Panico a certain amount of money during each shift and could pocket whatever cash was left over. Employees were supposedly fined if they did not wear high heels, wear make up or have a tan. They also weren't allowed to wear boots in the winter, according to court documents obtained by Vocativ.
Panico is a former exotic dancer with ties to the Seattle-based Colacurico crime family, according to police. She claims she no longer works in the coffee business, and has sold off or leased her stands. She is expected to appear in Snohomish County Superior Court next week.
