Manhattan Madam Anna Gristina Confesses to Being A 'Pimp'
Anna Gristina, the "Manhattan Madam" accused of running a $10 million prostitution ring in New York, has finally confessed to being a "pimp" two months after being sentenced to time served by the New York Supreme court.
The mother of four, who plead guilty only to one count of promoting prostitution in the third degree, denied ever running an escort agency or selling sex, but did admit to connecting "beautiful women" with wealthy men. She also confessed to having 100 hookers on a "global roster," which resulted in her conviction, according to The Sunk UK.
"So you were a pimp?" talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw asked in a recent interview.
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"If that's the way you want to call it, yeah," Gristina replied. "It was amazing, I made a lot of money. At any time I had 50 to 100 girls globally. I might make anywhere from $600 to $1,000 for the introduction."
Gristina, 45, had initially claimed that she ran a dating service, although she later admitted to the single charge of promoting prostitution as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. She was accused of running a brothel out of her Upper East Side apartment and subsequently served four months in Rikers Island jail.
"I've never owned an escort service. But yes, older men meet with younger beautiful women with the expectation of having sex. I've never once said to somebody you must have sexual relations for money," she said.
Gristina, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, living in Monroe, New York, was sentenced to six months in jail followed by five years probation. She now faces deportation due to her conviction.
"There is nothing glamorous about prostitution," Erin Duggan of the Manhattan District Attorney's office said in a written statement after Gristina's November sentencing. "Anna Gristina rented women's bodies for profit, which makes her a pimp. That also makes her a felon, and the court has now issued that judgment."
