Ex-escort service owner is denied a new trial

Third District Judge Randall Skanchy has denied Santiago Steven Maese's post-conviction request for either an arrest of judgment or a new trial in the case involving the former Doll House escort service co-owner.

A jury convicted Maese in July of one count of a pattern of unlawful activity and four counts of exploiting a prostitute, all third-degree felonies. He was acquitted of second-degree felony money laundering.

Maese was scheduled to be sentenced in September, but his attorney, Gil Athay, challenged aspects of the trial.

Among other things, Athay said that the bill of particulars of what illegal acts Maese was alleged to have done was "woefully inadequate" and that there were flaws in the jury instructions.

Athay also contended that juror statements showed the jury did not reach a unanimous agreement, at least in terms of agreeing on every element of every charge for which Maese was convicted.

Prosecutor Chad Platt, however, said that proper information was given to Maese's defense attorney and that jury instructions were "very explicit" and recalled that when each juror was polled at the end of the trial when the verdict was announced, each one said, "Guilty" on the counts for which Maese was convicted.

Skanchy, in a 38-page ruling released on Monday, agreed with the prosecutors and denied the motion to arrest judgment or set a new trial.

Skanchy scheduled a Dec. 22 sentencing for Maese.

E-mail: lindat@desnews.com