Published: August 01, 2008 01:42 am            

FEDERAL COURT: Sentencing delayed for former police captain

BUFFALO — Sentencing has been postponed until November for a retired Lockport police captain who pleaded guilty in federal court to transporting a local massage parlor employee across state lines.

John Trowbridge, 60, of Lockport, pleaded guilty in March to transporting the woman, an illegal alien identified in court papers as “Jane Doe No. 1,” to Kentucky in October 2005.

The actions violated the Mann Act, a federal law that forbids transporting someone across state lines for the purposes of prostitution.

Trowbridge was originally scheduled to appear in federal court for sentencing Thursday, but the hearing was adjourned. His next appearance is scheduled for Nov. 4.

Trowbridge retired from the Lockport Police Department in 2002 after 29 years of service.

He is a member of the Royal Order of Jesters, an international fraternal society made up of members of the Shriners and the Masons.

The woman was reportedly transported to Kentucky in a motor home to engage in prostitution with members of the organization, according to Terrence P. Flynn, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York.

Trowbridge could face a maximum of 10 years in prison or a $250,000 fine, but at the plea hearing, U.S. District Judge William Skretny said the sentence will most likely be between 12 and 18 months or a fine of $3,000 to $30,000.

An investigation by the Western District’s Human Trafficking Task Force and Alliance culminated in December with raids on four massage parlors in Lockport, Niagara Falls, Wheatfield and Tonawanda.

The women working at the massage parlors were illegal aliens from Asia. Nine women were rescued from the parlors, where investigators said they were being held as virtual captives.

        

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