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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Soccer Mom Accused of Being a Madam
Aired March 07, 2012 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: I`m Jane Velez Mitchell, coming to you live from New York City.
Scandal strikes suburbia. Was a 45-year-old New Yorker a soccer mom by day and millionaire madam by night? Prosecutors say their undercover investigation blew this mom`s secret world wide open. We`re investigating.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL (voice-over): Tonight, secrets and scandal. A New York suburban housewife busted for allegedly running a prostitution ring for high-powered men. Her husband claims he knew nothing about her alleged double life, even though cops say it went on for 15 years. I`ll talk to a former madam and take your calls.
Plus, another family vanished without a trace. This time they popped up without a scratch, but remember the McStays, who disappeared off the map from California? New developments in that case. I`ll talk to the missing dad`s brother.
Also, you`ll see the revealing interrogation tapes of the man accused of secretly taping his college roommate`s gay sexual encounter.
And cops say two armed gunmen carjack a young woman, but her quick thinking saves her life. I`ll tell you how she heroically escaped.
Plus, are schools giving kids lunches made from that mixture dubbed "pink slime" What every mom needs to know.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very well-dressed gentleman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bold-faced names from business, politics and sports.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Women, like I think, of European background it looked like.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was watching, and so were investigators, who`ve charged 44-year-old Anna Gristina with running a high-class prostitution ring.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An individual who was a caring, loving mother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The married mother of four, who lives in this secluded home with her second husband, Kelvin Gorr, and four children. Prosecutors say Gristina bragged she had law-enforcement friends who could help protect her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s just bizarre. You just don`t know what`s going on around here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, sex, lies and suburbia. An unassuming mother of four accused of running a high-priced brothel right out of a Manhattan apartment.
Forty-four-year-old Anna Gristina allegedly made as much as 10 million bucks from a prostitution ring over the last 15 years. She looks like a school marm or a soccer mom. But this, cops say, is a madam. Investigators say they`ve got undercover video, tons of it, photos to prove it.
Now, here`s Gristina with her husband, who claims he`s as shocked as anyone to hear about his wife`s alleged secret business. But boy, do they know how to take a picture, huh? Was her husband completely in the dark?
According to prosecutors, Gristina even sold sex with underaged girls. Her attorney vehemently denies all of it.
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PETER GLEASON, ANNA GRISTINA`S ATTORNEY: To speak about the defendant is to speak about an individual who is a caring, loving mother. But the only problem is she`s a woman and not a man.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Her client list allegedly includes wealthy high- profile business leaders, politicians, sports stars. Tonight we ask: who is quaking in their boots?
As we speak, neighbors noticed lots of well-dressed men and fancy cars outside this Upper East Side apartment. About 40 miles away is her family`s quaint suburban home, where she lives with her husband and four kids. Was this soccer mom leading the ultimate double life?
Call me, 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to our exclusive guest tonight. She is the former Hollywood madam, Jody "Babydol" Gibson, who told all in "Secrets of a Hollywood Super Madam."
Jody, thank you for joining us tonight. Nobody is more of an expert on this topic than you.
JODY "BABYDOL" GIBSON, FORMER HOLLYWOOD MADAM: Hi, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we`re delighted to get your input, because you ran an international call girl service that catered to very rich and famous men. And now we are going to reveal you. There is the alleged madam. And now the Hollywood madam, former.
Let me ask you a couple of questions. First of all, according to "The New York Daily News" anyway, she charged 2,000 an hour, racked up 10 million over 15 years and had a stable of approximately 50 women, young, beautiful, stylish. I have no independent confirmation of that. But does that sound like -- does that sound legit to you in terms of how these kinds of operations work?
GIBSON: Yes. The only difference is, my understanding is, she ran it from a walk-up apartment much like a brothel. That`s a little unusual.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you see, there`s a restaurant.
GIBSON: The girls were...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: There`s a restaurant on the ground floor.
GIBSON: The girls were actually in -- correct, but weren`t the girls -- more than one girl in the apartment at the time? Meaning a group of girls? Is that correct?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The restaurateur, who was in the neighborhood, said he would see groups of young -- beautiful young women, sometimes six in a pack, going into this location.
GIBSON: Yes, that`s the unusual part, the brothel environment. It`s not really done quite like that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Really?
GIBSON: ... like that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tell me more.
GIBSON: Well, first of all, OK. First of all, it`s the most dangerous approach, obviously. It`s actually very archaic. Nobody really does it that way anymore. I`m surprised. It reminds me of that show out in Vegas. What`s that cat house show? It`s not really in -- it`s not in suiting with the times today of how things are being done. I`m surprised at that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, what -- what is the way that you`re saying is suitable with the times, with the girls going to a hotel?
GIBSON: I -- yes, I think they go to a residence or a hotel. It`s one girl goes to one place, does her business, leaves. I`m -- I`m really not familiar with any operation where you walk into a room, and there`s a group of girls standing there and you get to pick who you want. I haven`t heard anything about that in a long time.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you should know.
GIBSON: That`s correct.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Prosecutors say before Anna Gristina was arrested, she bragged that she had friends in law enforcement who would tip her off if she were in any danger of being busted. Here`s what her attorney said about that.
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GLEASON: I am a retired police officer. I am pro-cop. If there was any cop involved in that they should have been upstairs in handcuffs themselves.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. There`s something I don`t understand about this. Jon Lieberman, investigative reporter, you`ve been looking into this. Prosecutors say, "Oh, my gosh, we have hundreds of hours of surveillance. We`ve got video of sexual encounters." This was a five-year undercover investigation. So at the end of the day, after all of that taxpayer money spent, how many counts is she facing, Jon?
JON LIEBERMAN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, that`s -- that`s a good question. She`s facing one count of promoting prostitution in the third degree. And that is -- you face seven years in prison for that sort of charge.
Another rare thing here, though, Jane, as well, is prosecutors believe that this woman is so much of a flight risk, because she could get help from some of these wealthy people who would not want their names connected to her, that her bail was set at $2 million bond on that one charge. I`ve never seen that before.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. And I want to go to Vinny Parko. You are a private investigator who reportedly worked with this alleged madam, Anna Gristina. Now, according to "The New York Daily News," she accepted no credit cards. She never met anyone in person. She didn`t use a phone or text. So I`m wondering, how could she run an operation without doing any of those things? What do you know, Vinny Parko, private investigator?
VINNY PARKO, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: Well, first of all, I think the people that just spoke, they spoke out turn.
Number one, the -- I was at the apartment once. The apartment is a walkup. There`s a bedroom that`s about 6 foot by 12 foot and a living room that`s about 10 feet by 12 feet. No kitchen -- a little walk-in kitchen. And really not an -- almost a dump, OK? So you can`t have six women in that apartment at any one given time.
No. 2, if they have all this video surveillance, then they know who the johns are. They know who the customers are. They don`t.
Now, some of the people that said they saw people in and out of the building, that could have been other residents or guests of other people in the building.
I don`t know where they get this $10 million from. This woman is not very wealthy. And what I was trying to help her do was set up a security system for a Web site that she was doing for a dating service.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, OK, prosecutors say that was her cover. Now, you`re saying that that was legit? In other words, there`s an actual real dating service out there?
PARKO: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That she is involved with? I don`t know if you should mention the name, because I have no way of independently corroborating that, and that Web site may say, "Well, actually, we`re not involved with her."
You`re saying there is a Web site in existence now where she runs a dating service?
PARKO: No, she was forming one. She had investors come in at these networking meetings. These are legitimate business people that are in different areas of commerce: a banker, an architect, real estate developers. And she had a networking group to raise money and to -- what network groups do.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Vinny Parko, with all due respect, the prosecutors say they have video of sexual encounters, hundreds of hours of surveillance. The guy who runs a restaurant says he saw beautiful women showing up in packs of six. He saw men...
PARKO: I don`t know how you could fit six people in that building. It`s so small.
But you have to remember that she was starting this Web site, dating Web site. It was in competition with another -- unless you want me to mention the name of it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, no.
PARKO: I met her at these functions in Manhattan they had once a month at a high-end nightclub. And the people there. It`s all legitimate, has nothing to do with prostitution.
Now, if she had a prostitution business, it has nothing to do with this. This is a separate type of business. You know, they could -- they could spin it anyway they want. They could say that she`s trying to become legitimate because she was illegal. I don`t know that. All I know is that...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re saying one side of the story. Steve Moore, former FBI agent, do you buy Vinny Parko`s explanation?
STEVE MOORE, FORMER FBI AGENT: Say that again?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do you buy these -- go.
MOORE: I think Vinny is a good -- is a good investigator, and he`s very careful in what he says. And I think the secret here is not in what is being said; it`s what is not being said.
Absolutely, they are going to produce tapes. They`re going to produce all sorts of surveillance, wiretaps possibly. There`s a lot going to come out here, and the fact that they just started with enough of a charge to get her off in jail doesn`t -- doesn`t make me think that there`s not going to be a big drop later on.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We are just getting started. We`ve got calls lining up. Jo in Pennsylvania hang in there. We`re taking your calls: 1-877-JVM- SAYS.
Now, later, a woman carjacked by two men escapes. You won`t believe how she outsmarted these guys.
But first, was a suburban mom leading a double life as a madam of a prostitution ring? On the other side, we`re going to talk about her love of animals and how she was also very involved in animal rescue. So this is a very interesting sort of compartmentalization of a life. Secrets on the other side.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s just too sad for that family, for those kids. I`m sure, you know, they don`t want to be around here. How do you go back to school after that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does it shock you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s shocking. But I`m sure there`s plenty of other people doing it, and they just haven`t gotten caught yet.
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GLEASON: To speak about the defendant is to speak about an individual who is a caring, loving mother. But the only problem is she`s a woman and not a man.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s the defense attorney saying there`s a double standard, because the johns rarely get prosecuted. The customers, the men.
But this 44-year-old immigrant from Scotland, mother of four, a wife who`s pleaded not guilty, accused of being a major madam in Manhattan. And are there a lot of very important rich men, powerful men quaking in their boots over her black book.
Speaking of black books, when I think of a black book, I think of Heidi Fleiss, and she has sometimes been referred to, as well, as a Hollywood madam. Remember her? She had that little black book that included a who`s who of Hollywood. And she ended up doing prison time for tax evasion. And has since become sort of a celebrity for just doing a lot of TV appearances. And boy, she`s one colorful woman.
Jo in Pennsylvania, we`re going to go out to the phone lines on this case. Jo in Pennsylvania, your question or thought, Jo.
CALLER: Hi, Jane. Two quick questions.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
CALLER: How could this go on so long?
And the second question is, if this is an attempted dating service that was going to be a part of this business, wouldn`t it have to do with having a legitimate service to claim money? Don`t you think?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s -- that`s a very -- that`s a very interesting question. I`m going to go to Jeff Brown, criminal defense attorney. If there was a legitimate business, wouldn`t that have appeared as something that the prosecution would have seen?
JEFF BROWN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, you know, that`s one of the darlings (ph) that prosecutors use, is they look at what you`re filing for tax returns. They love doing that. The feds do it. The state government will do it, as well.
So if it`s a legitimate business, she`s -- and she has income, she`s going to have to declare that on her taxes. So if all these people are coming in here and they`re all paying money for this Web dating service, then where`s the money? Why isn`t it on her taxes? That`s how you can get somebody for tax evasion. So that`s certainly one of the things that the government is going to be looking at.
But what`s really surprising here is, this was a five-year investigation. If you look at the charging document, they charged her with one count of promoting and only, I think it`s about nine days of actual activity in that five years. So it`s a little surprising that it`s such a massive investigation with such a little charge.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you know, she`s saying, according to prosecutors, she has friends in high places that are going to come to her aide. So who knows if that could allegedly be a factor in one charge. I don`t know. I`m just speculating what she might say or what some of her friends might say.
Gristina`s friends say she was very sweet, unassuming, and she has a great affection for animals. Now, here are photos of a big rescue group that she volunteered with. And the group says Gristina fostered six of their pet pigs over the past few years.
And I`ve got to say, I love pigs, too, and I`m very involved in pig rescue myself. So that, I think should continue. Let`s not blame the pigs for what anybody of the human species is doing.
Jody "Babydol" Gibson, you are a former Hollywood madam, author of "Secrets in Hollywood." Do you find that women in this profession often have double lives?
GIBSON: I did for 15 years. I wasn`t in the profession, but I had a profession as a madam and a recording star. Of course it can be done.
I have a question, though. Did they arrest any of her girls? Do they have any of the girls? Do you know?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jon Lieberman, what do you know?
LIEBERMAN: There is an unnamed codefendant right now who may be cooperating with authorities. But it appears some of the girls may have flipped on her as well, because investigators had many people inside this investigation.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We have more to tell you about this on the other side, back to the private investigator who knows her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Back with more of this alleged prostitution scandal in a minute. First, here`s a fun break, your "Viral Video of the Day."
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(SMALL PIG OINKING)
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s just too sad, that family, those kids. I`m sure they don`t want to be around here. How do you go back to school after that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does it shock you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s shocking, but I`m sure there`s plenty of other people doing it, and they just haven`t gotten caught yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Forty-four-year-old Anna Gristina`s life has undergone a major transformation. Hard for any of us to imagine. One day she`s driving her kids to car pool, perhaps going to bake sales, signing them up for summer camp. She`s a soccer mom.
The next day she`s holed up in Riker`s Island, unable to make her $1 million bail.
I want to go out to Jody "Babydol" Gibson, who is a former Hollywood madam. As we talk about Anna Gristina, how do prosecutors make a case against her? Why one count after a five-year investigation?
GIBSON: Because they don`t have enough girls yet. Any time they`ll get a girl, they`ll have a count. Each girl will represent a count.
Interestingly enough, though, Jane, everyone goes about it differently. But in my case, after they got the black book, they contacted the girls in the book and harassed them into cooperating, after my arrest, not before. I know it sounds unusual. That`s exactly what they did.
He`s under some -- OK, and the officer, the officer. Wait, here`s a good one. The head investigating officer in my case met the girl, had sex with my girl, paid the girl, and did not go back and arrest her until two months later when they were ready to as part of my case.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, my gosh. She was arrested...
GIBSON: Anything you`ve heard about what they can and can`t do, yes - - it`s a myth.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: She was arrested, she bragged that she had law enforcement contacts who could tip her off if she was in danger of getting caught. I guess they didn`t tip her off, if she does, indeed, have those.
The prosecutor told a judge that wealthy friends and business associates of this woman have an interest in not allowing this case to go forward. So who are those men behind the scenes? What kind of guys and what could they do to keep this from going forward?
GIBSON: I don`t believe they have anything to do with it. Come on, Jane. I had 20 of the biggest A-listers in my book. Did it stop me from getting prosecuted? It doesn`t -- it doesn`t prevent anything. That`s a myth. That`s another myth.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, these guys are -- are these guys scared? If she does have these wealthy, powerful, even famous clients, are they scared, Jody, right now tonight, of that black book?
GIBSON: They are -- I`m sure that they are. However, I do not think that will have any effect on the case whatsoever.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s go back out to the phone lines. Jackie in Indiana, your question or comment, Jackie?
CALLER: Hi, Jane, I want to say I love your show.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.
CALLER: And -- and I am, I think -- you don`t hear of girls getting killed in these brothels. I do think that taxes she does need to pay, but I don`t think that they should ruin everybody`s life over a situation like this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I get your point, and I want to go quickly to Vinny Parko, private investigator. You`re saying she did nothing wrong. But if, indeed, she had an underaged girl involved with any kind of sexual activity, that is serious. That`s no victimless crime.
PARKO: No, and if that was true, I wouldn`t be -- I wouldn`t even do anything with her; nor would the attorney do anything with her.
Also, if she had all these high-priced people and they have all this surveillance and undercover tape, wouldn`t -- wouldn`t they know who these people are?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you know, some good questions, we`re going to stay on top of this case.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was sad, overwhelmed. I felt very bad if in anything had happened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A heart-wrenching cyber bullying case.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He posted this message just before he took his life. Quote, "Jumping off the GW Bridge, sorry," end quote.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clementi`s suicide brought national attention to a campaign against bullying.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rutgers` student Dharun Ravi is accused of using a webcam to broadcast his roommate`s encounter with another man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ravi is now on trial facing 15 charges including hate crimes and invasion of privacy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just was overwhelmed with emotions of sadness and I just felt so bad for what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN HOST: Tonight, dorm room secrets revealed, you`re about to hear the words of defendant Dharun Ravi as he`s grilled trying to explain what he says led up to the suicide of gay Rutgers roommate Tyler Clementi. Ravi accused of spying on Tyler Clementi with a webcam during Tyler`s gay sex encounter with another man, a potential hate crime that could bring with it a 10-year sentence.
Prosecutors believe the day after one such sexual encounter when Tyler Clementi apparently believed the webcam was viewed school-wide. He jumped off the George Washington Bridge to his death.
Well, today cops played interrogation tapes in court, in which Ravi admits he probably violated his roommate`s privacy, but claimed, "I didn`t mean any harm." Cops were not buying it. Listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that you deliberately planned and set this up. Ok. This is something you spoke about doing before you did.
DHARUN RAVI, ACCUSED OF HATE CRIME: Because I was worried about what was going on with that guy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s not true. The reason you set up this computer was (INAUDIBLE) so you could access it from somewhere else, was to spy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Also revealed in court today, four minutes after Tyler posted on Facebook that he was going to jump off the bridge, Ravi sent him a text message apologizing for the webcam incident. The text said, "I turned on the camera and saw you in the corner of the screen and immediately closed it. I`ve known you were gay and I have no problem with it." But it`s unclear if Tyler Clementi ever saw that text. And we`ll never know if it would have made a difference.
Dharun Ravi told cops he was only concerned about the stranger visiting Tyler and that he was worried about the safety of his belongings. Do you buy that? Give me a call, 1-877-JVM-SAYS.
Straight out to "In Session`s" Jean Casarez who is all over this case and covering the trial and she`s been in court. Jean, key points from this interrogation tape. What should we take away?
JEAN CASAREZ, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": You know there`s always argument on the other side but there were many, many lies and admissions. He said that he never pointed the camera toward Tyler`s part of the room. He said that he never wanted to do it a second time on the 21st, meaning aim the camera and have that streaming video for everybody to see. In fact he said he even tried to stop it. And he also admits several times that he invaded the privacy. "Yes, I did, I invaded the privacy," and that he allowed the public to view it also. Those are part of the crimes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I mean, the cops, what is their theme, Jean, as this tape is unfolding?
CASAREZ: The theme from the police, I think you`re saying? The theme from the police is you`re lying and tell us the truth, and they keep going and going. And he keeps giving mistruth after mistruth. And it`s interesting because I think this is the end of the prosecution`s case. They haven`t rested yet, but every single prosecution witness is not corroborating what he`s saying. The forensic evidence doesn`t corroborate what he says. And so I think it was a tough day for the defense.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, cops knew Dharun Ravi was very tech savvy, when they questioned him as you`re seeing right there, following Tyler`s death. Let`s check out another portion of these interrogation tapes.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s going to be ways to verify if you`re telling me the truth or not because you`ve about this. You communicate electronically, you text; you`ve done a lot of things, you`ve talked to a lot of people about your intentions and all last week before you ever thought it would come to this and don`t think for a second we`re not going to go back and do some research. I tell you now, we have your computers.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Prosecutors say Ravi deleted almost 100 text messages he sent to fellow student Molly Wei, who was originally implicated in this case but cut a deal with prosecutors.
Now, Jon Leiberman, investigative reporter, doesn`t the fact that he deleted all these texts show that he was trying to cover up something? Isn`t that consciousness of guilt?
JON LEIBERMAN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, it does. And that`s what they`re trying to show here in a pattern. The problem is that bias intimidation under the hate crime law is extremely difficult to prove. So yes, they are hammering away at the deception. Look at how this kid acted after the act of setting up the webcam and alerting everybody. But they still have a pretty high bar to meet in order to prove the hate crime, the bias intimidation aspect of this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I don`t know about that. Ravi insists he only turned on the webcam because he was worried about what was happening in his dorm room and describes the visitor as shady.
Check this out.
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RAVI: The reason I was a little weirded out is because he came in and I said "hey". He didn`t acknowledge me at all he just sat on the bed, on Tyler`s bed. He didn`t say anything. I left the room I was a little creeped out and worried about what was happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. But could that argument fall short, Jeff Brown? Because there has been testimony and evidence introduced that he said things and communicated to some of the other students, things that were homophobic.
JEFF BROWN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, I mean, that`s what`s going to happen here. Keep in mind most of the crucial evidence in any defendant`s case are really the words that come out of his mouth. And they can use those either for what they`re saying or to contradict something that they may be texting or telling somebody else.
But in this case, it`s the same thing. What he`s telling these investigators it turns out is completely different, and is actually a lie compared to what he`s texting and what he`s telling other people. That`s what gets a jury upset, that`s what gets a jury to convict somebody and this happens almost all the time. It`s what the defendants say that always comes back to be the rope that`s used against them to hang them.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And I find these interrogation tapes fascinating; the body language, the tone of voice. It`s not just the words. And it turns out that the man that he described as shady -- this male visitor to Tyler Clementi`s room to have an encounter with Tyler wasn`t shady at all. When he took the stand, he seemed like a well-dressed, well-kept articulate young man. So the "shady" claim doesn`t necessarily hold water.
I want to go out to the phone lines. Wanda, Tennessee, your question or thought, Wanda.
WANDA, TENNESSEE (via telephone): Oh, I just have a couple of comments.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sure.
WANDA: First of all, the students may be intelligent and everything. But I really don`t think that they realized what the result could be from these. And just because he did this, I don`t think he`s a racist myself. I have a gay friend myself, which are very nice people. In fact sometimes they`re nicer than others. But I probably wouldn`t want to share a bedroom with them. That doesn`t mean that I don`t -- while it doesn`t mean that I`m a bigot or anything like that, that`s just my private opinion.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Wanda, thank you for calling. Certainly people have reactions and it`s really not the reactions that they may have, and it`s really actions that count.
Jean Casarez, tell us some of the things that Ravi said that would back up the prosecution`s claim that this is a hate crime because he didn`t just set up the webcam, there were a series of texts and other communications to other students in which he expressed certain attitudes.
CASAREZ: First of all, at the end of August when he found out Tyler Clementi`s e-mail address, he started researching him. And when he found out that he thought he was gay, he started researching "homosexual" and "gay". And there was a texting exchange with Michelle Wang that I think really centers in on bias intimidation (ph). He talks about how he focused the camera, and he centered it and it`s on his bed. When they come in, he`s going to see it. And he said, "We have to keep the gays away."
And when you look at that line right there, and you say, ok what does he mean by that? Does he mean literally we have to keep them away? Or did he want Tyler to see the camera positioned on his bed to be a disincentive to bring a guest in? And remember bias intimidation, doesn`t have to be the purposeful conduct of the defendant. It could be how Tyler Clementi felt, and there are some things in the record before this jury of his feelings on his roommate because he knew what was being done to him.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Was he trying to humiliate Tyler Clementi? The tweet that the defendant sent out on September 21st, key to the prosecution`s case, listen as cops read that tweet to the defendant during their interrogation of him. This is fascinating.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Roommate asked for the room until midnight. I went into Molly`s room and turned on my webcam and saw him making out with a dude, yay. Anyone with iChat, I dare you -- not please don`t -- now I`m warning, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12:00. Yes, it`s happening again."
RAVI: Obviously, I said that in a sarcastic way, first of all. And second of all, I turned off my computer so they wouldn`t be able to do anything. That`s just the way I talk.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Again, the young man who was on the receiving end of that spy cam threw himself from the George Washington Bridge to his death. More after this.
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I don`t know about you but I have a bad habit. It`s soda. In my case, diet; but regular, diet -- there is an alternative. One that is cheaper that`s healthier for you and also zero calories. It`s good old- fashioned lemonade.
My recipe is Stevia lemonade. So I cut up some lemons, right. I put them right there in the water -- good old-fashioned water -- you can filter it if you want. And then I add my secret ingredient, Stevia. You can do it in powder form or in liquid form. 50 times sweeter than sugar, doesn`t upset your glycemic index. It`s all good. And guess what; it`s kind of old-fashioned too.
Want some lemonade?
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`ve got breaking news for you tonight. A Michigan family that vanished three weeks ago has been found. Excellent news: Timothy and Sabrina Medsker and their infant son disappeared without a trace leaving police baffled, their family worried, searching for any sign of them. We just heard from police that the Medskers have been found. They are alive and they are safe.
Fantastic, but this got us thinking about another family that seemingly vanished into thin air more than two years ago. Remember this?
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This family has disappeared. What happened and where they went are now agonizing puzzles for friends and relatives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to find them. I worry about those babies and are they fed? Are they warm? Are they happy? Are they sad? My nights are (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, right up until the McStay`s vanished on February 4th, everything was normal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For him to just up and run and not tell anybody it would have to be something pretty heavy.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: The McStay family disappeared February 4th, 2010 the secrets still unrevealed. No sign of struggle or foul play at their home. Their car found abandoned near the border with Mexico.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`re making inquiries concerning travel in Mexico and passports which would indicate there was at least some type of planning ahead.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: A family that looks like them seen casually walking into Mexico on the surveillance video. No one has used their bank or credit cards.
A lieutenant in the sheriff`s department told us he`d never seen anything like this case. What happened to the McStays?
Straight out to my exclusive guest, Michael McStay, the brother of the missing father; and he`s missing with his wife and two beautiful children. What has it been like, Michael, for you emotionally over the last two years?
MICHAEL MCSTAY, BROTHER OF MISSING FATHER (via telephone): It`s been a roller coaster, you know? We`ve yet to find them or have a confirmed sighting. And a lot of sleepless nights.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m sure. In fact what we can tell you is that there has been a lot of work done to try to find this family. The McStays have been missing, again, just over two years. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children made posters showing what the McStay children would look like today. We`re going to show you those.
They`re asking for your help. If you have any information about the McStays, you can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.
Michelle Sigona, investigative reporter, what do you know about this case?
MICHELLE SIGONA, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, earlier today I touched base again, Jane, with the San Diego Sheriff`s Office. They said that they continue to get leads in on this story, on this case. And they do go out. They do track them down and they eventually rule them out.
There`s been nothing, nothing at all that has led them to any kind of positive discovery of the family. There`s just that grainy surveillance video crossing the border which no one can say for sure whether it was the McStays or whether it wasn`t the McStays. There have been some other leads throughout Mexico that have not panned out.
The family left behind a large sum of money in their bank account. They left their Isuzu Trooper at the border. And both children are with them. So it`s very hard -- it`s hard for one person to hide Jane, as you know but definitely much harder to hide a family of four.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The McStays were in the middle of a home renovation. Two bowls of popcorn were in the living room. Family dogs in the backyard, food in the counter.
They go -- let`s just presume they went to Mexico because Michael -- Joseph McStay did have business in Mexico. He was in this fountain installing business and sometimes got his parts from Mexico.
And I`ll put that out to Leonard Padilla. I mean where does the investigation go? It has to go to Mexico.
LEONARD PADILLA, BOUNTY HUNTER: Well, that`s what everybody is thinking, but you know, I know you don`t like for me to disagree with the general consensus, but I don`t think they ever left the United States, not at all. You don`t leave your Isuzu at the border. You don`t walk across the border with two kids. I`ve been across that border 150 times and I`ve driven across it. I`ve never walked across it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, maybe you`re right. We`re going to stay on top of this case. Michael we`re going to have you back soon. We`re not letting this case go.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Pink slime in schools in a second. But first, we all deserve a laugh break
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(DOG HOWLING AT BABY CRYING)
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So often schools serve the cheaper and unhealthier alternative. There was not a single thing that I would have wanted my children to eat; soda and potato chips and hamburgers the size of your head.
Childhood obesity is one of the biggest public health threats. We`re doing our children wrong by what we`re feeding them in school.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: It was gross enough for fast food restaurants to ban, but apparently our government wants so-called pink slime to be a staple in your kids` lunches. U.S. Department of Agriculture reportedly buying 7 million pounds of pink slime mystery meat for school lunch programs.
So what exactly is it? Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver exposed the dirty little secret hiding in our ground beef in a demo on his "Food Revolution" show from youtube.com.
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JAMIE OLIVER, CELEBRITY CHEF: The little that no one wants. The bits of sinew, the bits of meat, the bits that can`t be turned into a (INAUDIBLE); they take all those trimmings, all the stuff that don`t (INAUDIBLE) to get taken away, they put it into a centrifuge and they spin it.
Now, what does that do? It splits the fat from the meat. The key ingredient of the process is ammonia. We`re going to wash these lean bits of beef that we`ve spun around there in water and ammonia solution. I don`t know how much -- and the water. There`s a specific ratio, but basically they wash this meat and that kills the e Coli and salmonella and any kind of pathogens.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. You see it right there. Joining me, renegade lunch lady, school lunch advocate, Ann Cooper, should the USDA be serving this pink slime to students?
ANN COOPER, "RENEGADE LUNCH LADY": Absolutely not. I mean, ammonia should be for windows, not for food. We really shouldn`t have the stuff in our food supply. And it`s bigger than school food. In regular grocery stores, you could be buying meat today in grocery stores that has this stuff in it. It shouldn`t be allowed at all.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: USDA insists the food is safe, but check this out from YouTube; Food Inc on youtube.com.
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GRAPHICS: "All USDA ground beef purchases for the National School Lunch Program must meet the highest standards for food safety. This includes stringent pathogen testing and compliance with all applicable food safety regulations."
The finished product hamburger meat filler that`s been cleansed with ammonias to kill e coli.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is your meat in most of the hamburgers in the country?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 70 percent. In five years we think we`ll be at 100 percent.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Again, USDA says pink slime which is made of cow connective tissue and other scraps and then treated with ammonia to kill the salmonella, e Coli potentially, the U.S. Government says it`s totally safe, Ann. What say you?
COOPER: Absolutely not. I mean, you know, we just shouldn`t be feeding our kids things with ammonia and stuff in it. Our kids deserve fresh foods, fresh vegetables, whole grains, healthy proteins; and healthy proteins does not mean it`s beef washed with ammonia. That`s ridiculous.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, the CDC is reporting more than a third of high school students in America are eating vegetables less than once a day -- 0 way below what`s suggested for good health, proper weight, disease prevention. And the USDA is giving kids 7 million pounds of pink slime? What`s wrong with that picture, Ann Cooper?
COOPER: Absolutely. What we should do is put salad bars in every school. We should make sure kids get fresh fruits and vegetables at lunch. We should make sure kids get healthy breakfast. Forget the slime. We just shouldn`t serve it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, why is this not happening? Why are kids being inundated with food that is not good for them, when we`re suffering from an obesity crisis? Is the U.S. government talking out of both sides of its mouth, promoting bad food while telling us not to eat it?
More on the other side.
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OLIVER: The little bits that no one wants. The bits of sinew, the bit of meat, the bits that can`t be turned into a (INAUDIBLE) they take all those trimmings, all the stuff that don`t --
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. That`s Jamie Oliver`s "Food Revolution" and he`s talking about pink slime and how it`s made. Cow connective tissue, scraps, then it`s blended together and washed with ammonia.
Ann Cooper, the U.S. government just announced new guidelines for healthier school options that include more whole grains and less fats. So why is the USDA pushing pink slime on our kids?
COOPER: You know, it`s about money. This meat can be bought for 3 cents a pound cheaper than real meat, and that`s just unconscionable. We should be doing those guidelines: fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, healthy protein, spend our money putting salad bars in schools.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And parents -- pack your own kids` lunches so they don`t get pink slime.
Nancy next.
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