A Melbourne defense lawyer is accused of using his legal practice to find women he could coerce into prostitution, according to arrest reports.
John Gillespie, 71, had multiple women staying in his Hickory Street home in Melbourne where he had been conducting prostitution activity for months, according to investigators.
The Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, a multi-agency task force based in Orange and Osceola counties, arrested Gillespie Saturday after months of surveillance and interviews with confidential informants.
Gillespie’s arrest came after undercover investigators posing as a prospective client and a 16-year-old girl arranged to meet with him at the Hilton Garden Inn on Augusta Drive in Melbourne.
He is being charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. Gillespie is currently being held at the Orange County Jail without bond.
Investigators said Gillespie would provide the women with narcotics, allow them the use of his home and exchange legal services for sex acts.
The investigation began last year when a confidential informant told investigators Gillespie offered them money for sex when he was meant to be representing them in 2001.
