( 4UMF NEWS ) Olsen Twins’ Bodyguard Busted:
A bodyguard for the Olsen twins who rushed to Heath Ledger’s side after his fatal overdose was one of 14 sad-sacks who hooked up with prostitutes working for a father-son pimp team, prosecutors say.
Dale Araten, 40, was arraigned Monday in Manhattan Criminal Court for allegedly making a lonely call to the hooker bookers on March 1. He and the 13 other accused johns were busted in an ongoing sweep into a sleazy prostitution network run by Vincent George Sr. and his son Vincent George Jr.
Araten told investigators he runs errands for Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s entertainment firm, Dualstar. But he was also part of a security team that Mary Kate dispatched to her SoHo apartment in 2008 after learning Ledger overdosed in her bed.
Araten told investigators he didn’t solicit sex because he was in Florida at the time, according to court documents.
“I’ve been in Miami since March,” he said. “I occasionally let someone use my phone but that hasn’t happened since November 2011.”
The Olsens could not be reached for comment.
Many of the accused johns held white-collar jobs. Richard Farrell, 48, of the Bronx, told police he worked for the Brooklyn Diocese after he was caught April 10, prosecutors said.
Paul Taboada, 61, an investment banker who ordered a hooker on Jan. 18, told investigators that he was a victim of ID theft, according to court papers.
“I had an ex-employee steal my identity and open four cell- phone accounts in my name, but this number is my number,” Taboada said.
Brian Lee, 39, of Brooklyn, also claimed his identity was stolen.
“I got a message a couple weeks ago about fraud. . . . When I got your message, I got nervous. I destroyed the phone when I got your message. Does my wife have to find out about this. I can’t afford a lawyer. Am I going to jail?” Lee told investigators.
Also busted were Ben Corr, Justin Gorenkoff, Michael Haughton, Edward Kamenitzez, Nick Koutsoulidakis, Robert Kiroski, Thomas Madden and Constatine Nicolaidis. All but two pleaded not guilty. Anthony Napolitano and Zachary Zeitzeff both pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct, agreed to pay a $250 fine and take a class on health education.
