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Anna Gristina, the high-profile New York Madam currently held at Rikers Island in lieu of $2 million bail while charges of prostitution against her are being investigated, had been boasting of “law enforcement ties.” On Friday, the New York Post fished out a photo from the archives that showed Sylvan Francis, a former detective to the District Attorney’s office holding Gristina on his lap. Anna, the 44-year old woman recently made headlines after being arrested on February 22 for running a brothel on the Upper East Side, New York.
In characteristic manner, New York Post captioned Sylvan Francis, aka “Sly,” as the “Big Bad Bodyguard.”
A spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. confirmed that the photograph showed Francis, who had been assigned to the DA’s office by the NYPD.
A private investigator told Reuters that Francis used to moonlight while working as a detective and the picture was taken about 10 years back when Francis worked as a bodyguard for Gristina following a complaint of domestic violence. However, there were no explanations as to what the “victim of domestic violence” was doing on the lap of her “bodyguard.”
Sylvan Francis could not be reached for any comment, but he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Sylvan Francis, also known to colleagues as “Sly,” had worked in the NYPD as a detective assigned to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office from the early 1990s until his retirement on 2005. The photo uncovered by the New York Post is from within the same time period when Francis was in active duty.
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Though Anna Gristina pleaded not guilty, the Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Charles Linehan stated that Gristina’s indictment was the consequence of a five-year investigation involving hundreds of hours of surveillance of her and her associates holding 50 to 100 hours of audio and video recordings.
She was arrested after a meeting with a Morgan Stanley employee at a Manhattan office of the firm, where she had gone to discuss an online venture to connect male clients with prostitutes.
Hearing of the case People of the State of New York v. Anna Gristina, Manhattan State Supreme Court, No. 00751-2012, is scheduled to take place on Monday in the New York Supreme Court.
It is pertinent to note that the active five-year investigation of Gristina from the DA’s office began only after “Sly” retired from his post of a detective there.
