Former Erie County Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced for Failing to Report Jester Prostitution in Canada

BUFFALO, NY—-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Michael Lesinski, 51, of Derby, New York, who was convicted of misprision of a felony, was sentenced to one year of probation and a $1,000 fine by Chief U.S. District Court Judge William M. Skretny.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert C. Moscati, who handled the case, stated that the defendant transported women in April, 2005 from the Buffalo airport to a hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, where the Royal Order of Jesters was holding its national convention. While there, the women engaged in sex acts with members of the Jesters in exchange for money. Lesinski knew about the prostitution and lied to U.S. Customs officials when returning to the United States to conceal the crime. It is a violation of the federal Mann Act to transport anyone in interstate or foreign commerce with the intent that such persons engage in prostitution. Lesinski was an Erie County Sheriff’s Deputy at the time.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard W. Kollmar; the United States Border Patrol, under the direction of Chief Patrol Agent Kevin W. Oaks; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy B. Howard; and Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Lev J. Kubiak.