Prosecutors with the Orange County State Attorney’s Office have filed a Motion to Disqualify Orange County Judge Deborah Ansbro from a prostitution sting case. Orange County prosecutors filed the motion after comments made by Judge Ansbro this week during a hearing which prompted a postponement of the hearing.
According to the police report, Metropolitan Bureau of Investigations (MBI) agents conducted a undercover sting operation targeting massage parlor prostitution activity. During one operation at Natural Therapies, it is alleged that an undercover agent touched the breast of a suspect during a prostitution sting. This prompted the judge to say she already thinks that the officer behaved improperly.
An Orlando criminal defense attorney representing, masseuse Xueyan Zhou, claims his client did not give permission for the undercover agent to touch her breast. She is a victim of battery, he said, and should have her two second-degree misdemeanor prostitution charges dismissed.
MBI Director Phil Williams believes that the agent acted within the scope of his duties. Investigators contend Xueyan, 39, lifted her shirt and bra to expose her breast before offering sexual services for $20, reports show. The agent acknowledged in his report that he grabbed the woman’s breast when she exposed it.
At issue in the State Attorney’s motion is the contention that Judge Ansbro’s comments during a Jan. 29 hearing shows she made up her mind before hearing evidence on why the agent grabbed Xueyan’s breast, according to the motion.
If you have been arrested or charged with a prostitution or other criminal offense in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.