Tapes Detail Workings of Alleged Call Girl Ring

In secretly recorded conversations, Jody Babydol Gibson outlined the inner workings of her escort service and boasted of the intelligent and sophisticated women working for her, including “television stars” and a former beauty queen, according to evidence at her pimping trial Monday.

“I’m looking for girls who aren’t the hard-core porno type,” said LAPD Det. Raz Kertenian, who had posed as a customer calling the California Dreamin’ escort service, on the tapes. As they talked, the two referred to pictures of escorts on an Internet site.

In a sweet yet solidly businesslike voice, a woman who called herself “Sasha”--whom Kertenian identified as Gibson--suggested an escort who “would be perfect” for the occasion and even spoke five languages.

But her availability is limited, Gibson said, because she has to work around her shooting schedule for television.

As jurors listened to the tapes booming from a cassette player atop the desk of Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard F. Walmark, Kertenian occasionally glanced at Gibson out of the corner of his eye.

Gibson, 41, has been charged with pimping, pandering and procuring for prostitution for her alleged operation of an international call-girl business. She faces up to 17 years in state prison if convicted on all charges.

Gibson’s attorney, Gerald Scotti, had said earlier that authorities would not be able to prove his client was involved in anything other than setting up dance parties and casting and shooting pornographic videos. The defense is also questioning police conduct--alleging evidence tampering, the failure to prosecute male clients and whether the undercover officer had stepped over the line in stripping naked while with alleged prostitutes.

In a series of phone conversations over more than two months, Kertenian and “Sasha” referred to her “girls” by numbers corresponding to their photos on the California Dreamin’ Web site.

The cost for No. 14, a dark-haired, 5-foot 7-inch beauty was $1,000 for two hours, Kertenian said. Through “Sasha,” Kertenian set up a meeting with No. 14, also nicknamed “Lee,” at the Century Plaza Hotel last April.

“Lee” arrived at Kertenian’s hotel suite, and the two sat and talked for about 30 to 40 minutes, the detective testified at the trial presided over by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lloyd M. Nash.

She asked him to take off his clothes, he said. He complied--conduct that the defense contends was highly unusual for a police officer. LAPD policy prohibits such conduct unless the officer obtained special permission, which Kertenian, in previous testimony, said that he had.

But when the woman tried to reach for his “groin area” and began unwrapping a condom from its foil, Kertenian said he stopped her and told her to “slow down.”

Kertenian, playing the role of a wealthy Middle Eastern businessman, told her he was enjoying their conversation and to “save it” for their next date.

The woman was so pleased that she offered to deal directly with him rather than to go through the escort service, Kertenian said.

“I pay 40% of what you pay for me to Sasha,” the woman told Kertenian, as he recalled their conversation for jurors. If he booked appointments directly with her, she could help save him money, she said.

In later telephone conversations, Gibson quoted a $2,000 per hour price for a sex act that Lee declined to perform.

Gibson also told Kertenian that she had “girls” in Denver, Houston and Chicago.

“I have a very big office in New York,” she said, adding that she also served Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

“Many of my girls are television stars,” Sasha said at one point. “Lee,” she added, had been crowned winner of a state beauty pageant.

Kertenian also proposed that some women be sent to Kuwait.

“It might be lucrative for you . . . and close some business [deals] for me,” he said.

“Sasha” did some quick math.

“It would have to be at least $30,000 a week for a girl to do that.” The price was the daily rate multiplied by seven, she explained.

Gibson later showed up at the meeting Kertenian had arranged with “Sasha” and was arrested, Kertenian said.