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Notorious Staten Island Hotel Shut Down for Prostitution, DA Says

By Nicholas Rizzi | August 31, 2016 4:57pm
 Authorities shut down the Staten Island Motor Lodge for being complicant in prosecution happening inside the room, District Attorney Michael McMahon said.
Authorities shut down the Staten Island Motor Lodge for being complicant in prosecution happening inside the room, District Attorney Michael McMahon said.
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DNAinfo/Nicholas Rizzi

GRASMERE — A notorious Hylan Boulevard hotel was shut down after an investigation found workers knowingly allowed prostitution there, prosecutors said.

The Staten Island Motor Lodge, at 481 Hylan Blvd., was shut down Tuesday using the nuisance-abatement law after numerous complaints from neighbors, arrests for prostitution and a nearly seven-month long investigation, District Attorney Michael McMahon said. 

"Having grown up not far from this notorious 'quick sheets' hotel, I know that it has been a constant nuisance on the surrounding community for far too long," McMahon said in a statement.

"Let this serve as a warning to the owners of any other seedy hotels or businesses operating in Staten Island — where criminality can be identified, we will prosecute to the full extent of the law."

The hotel allowed short stays, was the site of drug activity and robberies, and had numerous ads on Backpage.com from sex workers directing clients to the hotel, prosecutors said.

From February 2015 to the present, police made arrests on at least eight days at the hotel, including several prostitutes soliciting services from $120 to $160 from undercover officers in sting operations, according to the abatement notice.

Aside from the prostitution arrests, two people were arrested on Nov. 17, 2015, after they lured a victim into one of the rooms to meet with a prostitute but instead robbed him at gunpoint, according to court documents.

Starting in January, undercover officers posed as johns twice and were allowed to use the hotel rooms for prostitution by a worker after they paid for the room and gave him a $40 tip, according to the abatement notice.

On both occasions, the worker directed undercover officers to the room and accepted additional tips afterwards, authorities said.

McMahon said that he would seek several injunctions in court to prevent the hotel from reopening until owners made changes.