MIAMI, FL—October 27, 2011 – A former Miami Beach Police officer and his friend are being sued in connection with the alleged drugging and raping of an aspiring model, who uploaded modeling photos on a social networking website in hopes that she would be contacted by talent/modeling agencies. According to NBC Miami, the rape victim claims the ex-cop posed as a talent agent and persuaded her to come to South Florida for an audition via BlackPlanet.com, which is also being named as a defendant in the pending sexual assault lawsuit.
Reports indicated 40-year-old Lavont Flanders, a former MBPD officer, and his friend, 45-year-old Emerson Callum were charged with 22 counts of human trafficking on August 17. During an FBI raid, agents reportedly confiscated multiple boxes of porn DVDs, as well as other pieces of unspecified evidence in the case. Flanders and Callum’s criminal trial is set to begin in November.
According to federal prosecutors, Flanders, who was employed by the Miami Beach Police Department between 1995 and 1997, pretended to be a talent scout and modeling agent as a means of enticing women to come to South Florida to “audition” for a nonexistent agency since 2006.
Reports state Flanders would allegedly put drugs in the women’s drinks and then film Callum, the president of pornography company Miami Vibes, rape the women. Those porn films were subsequently sold for profit through online retailers, as well as at local adult film stores. It was not clear how many sexual assault victims there were in all.
The pending rape lawsuit against Flanders, Callum and social networking site BlackPlanet.com was filed on Oct. 24 and seeks unspecified damages.
About the Miami Sexual Assault Lawyers and Personal Injury Attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.
Working closely with advocacy groups such as the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC), the Miami sexual assault attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz are dedicated to protecting and enforcing the rights of rape and sexual assault victims. With more than 30 years of experiencing litigating a variety of complex injury and assault claims, the South Florida injury attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. will fight to help victims of sexual assault and rape obtain the justice a compensation they deserve.