A former San Diego police department vice detective pleaded guilty Tuesday to running illegal sex parlors in two states.
Peter Griffin, 78, worked for SDPD between 1975 and 2002, and went on to run at least five sex parlors across California and Arizona between the years of 2013 and 2022, according to a prior release from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of California. During his time in law enforcement, Griffin was tasked with taking down the type of business he eventually went on to run.
Griffin, along with two others, was arrested in San Diego as he left his home in August 2022. A third suspect was arrested at some point after this. His three co-defendants, Kyung Sook Hernandez, 58, Yu Hong Tan, 56, and Yoo Jin Ott, 46, joined Griffin in his guilty plea, NBC reported.
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I hope the person responsible for this never works again. https://t.co/i3ENu0XoNe
— KAY SMYTHE (@KaySmythe) March 24, 2023
“The defendant – a former vice detective who once took an oath to uphold our laws – knew more than most that illicit massage businesses cruelly profit by exploiting women for commercial sex,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. “We are committed to prosecuting the proprietors of these illegal businesses, and to shining a light on those places where sexual exploitation and trafficking persist.” (RELATED: Jury Finds 20-Year Veteran Of Police Force Guilty Of Raping Suspects, Witnesses)
The defendants advertised the sexual services at their five parlors online, and employed female prostitutes to perform those services, prosecutors alleged, according to NBC. Reports suggest that Griffin helped his co-defendants avoid law enforcement using his prior experience. Together, they managed to maintain a cloud of authenticity, which is how they managed to fly under the radar for so many years, the New York Post reported.