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Purveyor, Fine Asian Porn
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 38,323
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Originally Posted by munki
Got a link to the story?
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Sure... here's another story about it...
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More 'swinger' scam victims step forward
BY ZACHARY R. DOWDY
Newsday Staff Writer
February 1, 2007, 9:55 PM EST
The Franklin Square man and East Hampton woman who Nassau police said met casual sex seekers on the Internet and videotaped them engaging in a variety of sex acts to extort tens of thousands of dollars now blame each other for their roles in the scandal.
The barbs flew back and forth Thursday as police revealed that at in addition to the two victims who first came forward, at least two other people have notified police on behalf of people who they believe are victims of the couple's blackmail scam, an operation authorities said was run efficiently. Police said the suspects compiled detailed ledgers, video and still images of victims, like shrewd business owners.
As police began watching more than 100 hours of footage of sex among mostly New York State residents, an attorney representing Shawn Payne, 34, of 56 Middle Lane, East Hampton, claimed she was coerced into at least some parts of the blackmail scheme that may have ensnared dozens of people, some of whom may hold prominent or powerful positions.
Police declined to reveal the identities of any of the victims, each of whom came in contact with the couple through a Web site claiming to be "The World's Largest Sex and Swinger Personals Community."
"My client may have been as much a victim in all of this as those who have been reported to be victims," said Payne's lawyer, Marc Gann of Carle Place. "She was scammed by this guy and forced to do some things. Let's just say I think any acts she may have committed were done under duress."
Gann said Payne, known online as "Gina," who faces second-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheming to defraud charges, is distressed. "She's certainly upset, but I think there's a sense of relief as well that he's been caught," Gann said.
But Michaelangelo Matera of Melville, who represents Michael Largue, 45, of 903 Oaks Dr., Franklin Square, said the opposite is true.
"There is absolutely no truth to that allegation whatsoever and the evidence we have so far is quite the contrary," said Matera. "It tends to implicate Ms. Payne much more than it does my client."
Largue faces multiple charges of grand larceny.
Largue, known online as "Mr. Nice," pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in First District Court in Hempstead yesterday and is due in court Friday. Matera said Largue denies the charges against him.
"He's definitely claiming that what has been portrayed so far is not the truth," Matera said.
As Largue and Payne, who police said were once lovers, took jabs at each other, police maintained that neither of them is a victim, and that they both preyed without mercy on "swingers" and casual sex seekers they met over the Internet.
Nassau's Third Squad received at least two calls that could potentially prove helpful in the sex-extortion plot investigation, said Det. Lt. Ray Cote.
He said the callers told investigators that they knew victims in the case and called on their behalf. Police have not yet confirmed whether the callers were legitimate, Cote said, adding that work was under way.
Still, he said, receiving calls just hours after publicly releasing information about the plot Wednesday is a good start.
He maintained that dozens across New York State were victimized.
"The two calls we got are significant," Cote said. "It is going to be gradual and it will take a lot of time to go over all the information we uncovered so far. We're convinced we will have additional victims coming forward in the near future on their own ... or by contact from us."
Some of the victims identified by police have been reluctant to come forward.
In the quiet cul-de-sac in Franklin Square where Michael Largue grew up, neighbors steadfastly declined to utter a word about the man who lived on Oak Drive all his life.
"I can't say anything about that -- I won't," said one next-door neighbor, who declined to give her name.
At 903 Oak Dr., a red-brick, single-family ranch-style house where police said Largue lived, a man who answered the door quickly said, "No" before shutting the door on a reporter.
Largue had also lived at 12 Hempstead Ave. in Rockville Centre, according to court records, but residents there also declined to comment.
Staff writer Luis Perez contributed to this story.
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I wonder if Lars got a cut... 
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