Gwinnett County Assistant District Attorney Christopher Quinn is facing charges related to a prostitution bust that resulted in 56 arrests.
Police say a high-end escort service dubbed "Gold Club" was operating out of an apartment across the street from the Dunwoody police station. A second escort service known as "Lipstick and Shoes" was allegedly housed in another Dunwoody apartment complex and two apartment complexes in Atlanta, police said Wednesday.
Quinn, 46, of Alpharetta, turned himself in Tuesday and has been charged with pandering and violation of Georgia’s felony racketeering statute.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said he’s aware of the arrest and awaiting more information.
“I’m not happy about it,” Porter told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday. “At this point, until I know more about the case…I’m not going to make any decisions.”
Quinn’s attorney, Noah Pines, said he’s taken aback at the racketeering charges for the men accused of patronizing the organizations.
“The (racketeering) allegations are just far overreaching,” he said. “They’re saying (the alleged customers) are part of an enterprise, yet they’re paying for sex.”
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The case should be about the misdemeanor charge of pandering for the alleged customers, not the felony organized crime charge, Pines said.
DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston said in a news conference Wednesday she hopes to send a message to the community that this type of crime won’t be tolerated.
Over in Gwinnett, District Attorney Porter said Quinn isn’t in the office and is considered on leave.
Quinn works in the appeals section of the DA’s office, which handles motions in appeals and briefs in death penalty cases. He has been with Gwinnett about four years and had retired from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, Porter said.
Quinn is an “outstanding lawyer who finds himself caught up in the system,” Pines said. "He has support from a lot of people in the legal community.”
