National

Ex-prostitute fears deportation, wants sex ring conviction erased to become US citizen

DETROIT – A one-time $500-an-hour call girl who helped her boyfriend run a multimillion-dollar escort business has landed back in federal court, this time fighting possible deportation.

And she didn't see it coming.

Fabiola Contreras, 41, who pleaded guilty in 2011 to bringing people into the country illegally who worked at the Miami Companions escort agency, is fighting to have her plea and conviction vacated, claiming it's getting in the way of her obtaining U.S. citizenship.

Contreras, a native of Chile, argues in new court documents that she pleaded guilty to only a misdemeanor, but that the Department of Homeland Security is considering her conviction an aggravated felony, which disqualifies her from attaining citizenship.

“In fact, this makes her subject to deportation any time,” attorney Paul DeCailly argued in a filing Sunday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, where his client was prosecuted years ago for her role in what the government says was once one of the largest prostitution rings in the U.S.

On Wednesday, a federal judge provided temporary relief for Contreras in prohibiting the government from taking any removal action pending further review.

Meanwhile, Contreras is now trying to get a piece of her past erased, claiming she would not have taken a plea deal had she known she would be subject to deportation. She believes her former lawyer gave her bad advice and wants her conviction tossed on ineffective counsel grounds.

Here’s the part of her past that she believes is getting in the way of her becoming an American.

Contreras is one of five people indicted in 2010 on charges of running Miami Companions, a nationwide high-priced escort service that sold sex for $500 an hour, had a black book of 3,000 customers and raked in more than $4 million, with metro Detroit being among its busiest ports. Contreras started working as a prostitute for the organization in 2008, using the name “Antonella,” and made at least one business trip to Michigan, where the feds ultimately busted the operation, court records show.

It wasn’t Contreras’s role as an escort, however, that got her into trouble. Rather, it’s what she did for the business and her boyfriend-boss that landed her in federal court and may now cost her a chance at citizenship.

According to court documents, a year after working for Miami Companions, Contreras started dating the boss: Gregory Carr, a Dearborn Heights, Michigan, native, who operated the business with his now-ex-wife, Laurie, for almost a decade before the federal government closed in. It was Gregory Carr who primarily hired the women, whose jobs and identities were kept secret with the help of Contreras, records show.

“Fabiola Contreras knew that some of the women working for Gregory Carr and Miami Companions were unauthorized aliens, and at times, aided and abetted in the concealment of their unauthorized status and continued employment with … the Miami Companions,” prosecutors wrote in 2011 court documents.

Though Contreras was initially charged with money laundering, accused of using her bank account to launder Miami Companions proceeds, she cut a deal and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of aiding and abetting in the practice of continued employment of "unauthorized aliens." She received probation.

Six years later, while applying to become a U.S. citizen, she learned during an interview that she now stands to be deported because of her actions with Miami Companions.

“The person conducting the interview even indicated that she could take Ms. Contreras in to custody during the interview. Ms. Contreras was told to withdraw her citizenship application and not re-apply until she received a pardon or had the conviction set aside,” DeCailly wrote in his filing.

On Wednesday, a federal judge in Detroit – the same one who oversaw the sensational Miami Companions sex case and sentenced Contreras’ boyfriend to 14 months in prison – provided Contreras temporary relief. U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow issued an order prohibiting the government from initiating any removal proceedings against Contreras pending further review, concluding “it is in the interest of justice” to do so.

Gregory Carr was the only person to serve prison time for his role in the Miami Companions sex case. His wife, Laurie Carr, got time served. So did Michelle Matarazzo, the sex ring’s office manager and former escort. Nayubet Swaso, who operated the overseas call centers, received probation.

As for Contreras, her lawyer has argued in court documents that she is remorseful for her actions and has cleaned up her life. After her conviction, she went back to school and earned a certificate from Central Florida Therapy and Spa Institute. She aspired to become a certified massage therapist and take real estate courses.

Contreras also has a grown son in Chile, whom she took care of while working in the U.S. for Miami Companions, according to court records.

"She has had to explain to her son and parents her predicament in this case due to her wrong-doing," her former lawyer, Francisco J. Villarruel, wrote in a 2011 court filing. "This was one of the most difficult things she has ever had to do but she felt that honesty was the only correct avenue to take with her family under these difficult circumstances."

Follow Tresa Baldas on Twitter: @Tbaldas