Mainstream Producer Accused of Running Porn Sites For Mob

A scam in which unwitting free-tour adult Web surfers were hit with $90-a-month charges that siphoned off about $230 million has resulted in the indictment of a wealthy New York philanthropist and producer authorities say had partnered with an organized crime soldier in running the scam.

Norman Chanes was charged following his arrest at his Manhattan duplex by U.S. Postal Service inspectors in March. He's suspected of being a partner of reputed Gambino Family soldier Richard Martino, according to the New York Daily News, but his attorney, Rusty Wing, told the paper the adult sites were legitimate and his client was determined to prove his innocence.

"We were quite surprises that an indictment had been returned," Wing told the News. "Very surprised." But the News said Chanes is a name well enough known to law enforcement circles who had cited him often enough in the past for false advertising involving several scams involving fraudulent Free Gifts packages including Revlon, Colgate-Palmolive, and other products, given after enrollment fees were paid to various services.

The newspaper cited prosecutors who suggested Chanes got into the adult Internet by way of beginning with 900 numbers for telephone sex, which he reputedly marketed and operated with Martino at the time the late John Gotti, Sr. was the head of the Gambino Family. Chanes and Martino subsequently joined High Society publisher David Chew in creating and running adult Websites, where visitors promised free tours for their credit card numbers learned the hard way - via text embedded in the images - that they'd be charged for the free showings, according to the indictment reviewed by the News.