The 'matchmaker' finally turns herself in: Glamorous 'accomplice' of Manhattan Madam in court to face prostitution charge
- Wanted by police since February 22
- Plead not guilty to single count of promoting prostitution
- Freed on $100,000 bail
After three weeks on the run, the alleged accomplice of Manhattan Madam Anna Gristina finally appeared in court today, cutting a more polished and professional figure than her co-defendant.
Dressed in smart but casual attire, Jaynie Mae Baker, 30, from Brooklyn, looked calm and collected as she was escorted into the court room today to face charges of promoting prostitution.
By her side was high-powered criminal defense attorney Robert Gottlieb, who said his client was vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, when news of the case broke last week and was not in fact 'on the run'.
Appearance: Jaynie Mae Baker, co-defendant of accused 'Soccer Mom' Madam Anna Gristina, in handcuffs just before her arraignment at New York State Court today
Alleged accomplice: Jaynie Mae Baker, 30, appeared in court today with her attorney Robert Gottlieb, left, on a single charge of promoting prostitution
Ready to face the music: Attorney Richard Gottlieb, right, insists his client was vacationing in Mexico and not on the run as has been suggested
Mr Gottlieb says Baker contacted him on Thursday, flew back to New York on Saturday and had been prepared to turn herself in on Monday.
As she sat in court for her arraignment with her arms by her side, Baker cut a cool figure in comparison to an unkempt and exhausted-looking Anna Gristina - who has appeared in court twice in the same drab suit with messy hair and hands cuffed behind her back.
And while her alleged business partner languishes in Rikers Island prison, Baker was freed on $100,000 bond after pleading not guilty to the prostitution charge.
She was said to be stunned when she heard she was wanted by police and claims her association with Gristina was nothing more than a legitimate matchmaking agency.
The 30-year-old is accused of helping run the soccer-mom-turned-Manhattan-Madam's alleged millionaires-only call girl ring, which prosecutors say was operated out of a cramped one-bedroom ‘brothel’ on East 78th Street for $2,000 per hour.
Perp walk: Flanked by police officer and officials, Baker makes her way to her arraignment in hand cuffs
Media frenzy: Photographers scramble to get a picture of the glamorous matchmaker who allegedly helped Anna Gristina run a multimillion dollar prostitution empire
Arm in arm: Jaynie Mae walks from New York State Supreme Court with her high-powered lawyer Robert Gottlieb after handing herself in to police
The pretty blonde claims to work for New York dating company VIP Life which legitimately supplies wealthy clients with well-to-do ladies who are looking for love.
She faces up to seven years in jail if convicted.
Speaking from Rikers Island prison last week, Scottish-born Gristina said Baker worked for her as a legitimate matchmaker and is innocent of any crime.
Yesterday, the 44-year-old was back in court so a judge could decide whether or not she should be released on bail and if she is entitled to free legal aid - paid for by the tax payer.
With her hands cuffed behind her back, she appeared with three attorneys, looking more like an ordinary suburban mom rather than the owner of a millionaire prostitution empire, as prosecutors allege.
Hearing: Anna Gristina was back in court yesterday with her attorney Peter Gleason so a judge could decide whether or not she is entitled to court-paid defence
Shackled: Her attorney, pictured, also asked if he could put up his Tribeca loft as collateral so the mother-of-four can be released on bail. This will be decided on Thursday
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan was trying to decide whether the 'soccer mom' should be released on bail and adjourned the hearing until Thursday.
Deciding on whether she was entitled to a free lawyer he said: 'The allegation is that she made over $10 million, possibly $15 million dollars, and that she has money "squirreled away".'
He then asked her attorney Peter Gleason why he should allow the mother-of-four to pick and choose her lawyers after the attorney made it clear Gristina wanted to replace court-appointed lawyer Richard Siracusa.
'She doesn't have two nickels to rub together, your honor,' Gleason said, pointing out that prosecutors have produced no evidence of Gristina's so-called hidden riches and that she is entitled to free legal representation.
Front?: Jaynie Baker's profile on the VIP Life's website, for which she finds eligible wealthy bachelors
New York: 304 East 78th Street, the alleged Upper East Side brothel where accused Manhattan Madam Anna Gristina reportedly ran a high-class escort service
The judge told Gleason his client would not be getting preferential treatment but would keep the tax-payer funded lawyer until someone presented him with evidence that she was not broke.
He also denied her additional request to interview other prospective lawyers within the program.
Gristina's bail was set at $2million after prosecutors told the judge she was a high-flight risk since she had property and friends in different countries and has a British passport.
It is extremely unusual, but not unethical, for a lawyer to post bail for his client as Gleason has offered to do.
It is also believed he will allow his client, her husband Kevin and four children to stay at his condo in the city if she is ordered not to leave by the judge.
Gristina is offering to wear a monitoring ankle bracelet if the judge signs off on the deal.
Speaking to the New York Post last week from her cell in Rikers Prison last week, the mother-of-four denied that she reaped millions from a prostitution ring, claiming it was often hard to make ends meet and adding: 'I can show you my bills.'
Racy: Anna Gristina poses seductively with her third husband Kelvin Gorr, a photo she posted online as she boasted to her friends back in Scotland that she was 'building an empire' in New York
She added that she hated the thought of her children - particularly her nine-year-old son - knowing she was in prison, saying: 'I just don’t want my kids to see me in here.'
Speaking from Rikers Island - where she is locked in solitary confinement - she recounted the hours-long questioning she received from prosecutors following her arrest on February 22.
Gristina, 44, was later charged with a single count of prostitution and believes the meager charge - which came after a five-year probe by investigators - proves they have nothing on her.
Gristina told the Post: 'They’re trying to sweat me out. They are clearly trying to break me... I’d bite my tongue off before I’d tell them anything.'
Her denial comes after the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it recorded her speaking of her close relationships with police officers and federal agents who kept authorities off her back.
They allegedly kept her out of the frame even during high profile arrests, such as that of former Governor Eliot Spitzer in 2008, who was this week accused of tipping her off through a contact.
She admitted that she does have high-profile friends, but would often exaggerate her relationships with them during discussions to make herself 'sound better'.
She recounted the questioning by police as relentless and how her pleas for a lawyer fell on deaf ears.
She believes the police were trying to force a case rather than having anything concrete on her, telling the Post: 'If I’m such a big, high-profile madam, making all this money, and they had to investigate me for five years, why did they arrest me on a single promoting-prostitution charge - and only after I refused to talk to them?'
