Long Island prosecutors are looking to seize a $1.2 million home on Fire Island from the accused boss of a long-running prostitution ring that allegedly operated two brothels across Suffolk County with help from a cop and a gym teacher, court records show.
The ritzy beachfront home is part of a $1.96 million civil forfeiture case filed against Frank Saggio, a 60-year-old convicted felon and admitted associate of the mafia, who claimed to have worked for all five major New York families.
The Ocean Beach property was paid for with money raked in through the illegal scheme, and purchased by a corporation controlled by Saggio using proceeds from a brothel in Holbrook, according to prosecutors.
Saggio, of West Islip, and his mistress, 32-year-old Dana Ciardullo, of East Meadow, were busted in October alongside Islip gym teacher Steven Arey, 54, and veteran six-time Suffolk “Cop of the Month” George Trimigliozzi, 56, in a sweeping 58-count indictment accusing them of enterprise corruption and promoting prostitution, court records show.
“It is a sad day in law enforcement when a public servant is arrested,” Suffolk DA Ray Tierney said at the time of the arrests.
Saggio allegedly ran the brothels from October 2019 through June 2024.
Trimigliozzi and Arey acted as managers at the American Girls Spa location in Holbrook along Sunrise Highway, while Ciardullo ran the West Babylon spot inside an adult store known as Tunnel of Love, prosecutors said.
The crew allegedly forced the prostitutes to sign “leases” for the rooms they worked out of — charging them $6,000 a month to work in Holbrook and $12,000 in West Babylon, but they weren’t paid for their services and only earned tips, according to prosecutors.
The alleged ringleader used a shell company named after the Holbrook brothel’s address, 6801 Sunrise Highway, to collect illegal payments disguised as “rent,” court papers show.
Meanwhile, his wife, Lisa Piazza Saggio, was listed as the company’s sole officer, but prosecutors claim it was just a front for Saggio himself.
In July 2022, Saggio unloaded the Holbrook property for $1.2 million — and within two months, dropped $1.25 million on a beach house at 24 Bungalow Walk, which prosecutors allege was part of a scheme to launder dirty cash from the brothel.
While prosecutors try to claw the house back, Saggio, Ciardullo, Trimigliozzi and Arey all still face criminal charges tied to the alleged racket.
All four have pleaded not guilty, according to court docs.
