Trial Of Naked Harem Co-Owner Off To Scandalizing Start

EL PASO — The first day of testimony on the trial of Naked Harem co-owner Jeannie Coutta got off to a fast start as allegations of prostitution and organized criminal activity were made public.

Coutta was indicted on a count of Aggravated Promotion of Prostitution and four counts of Engaging in Criminal Organized Activity. Her partner, Phyllis Woodall, was found guilty on charges of Promoting Prostitution and was sentenced to 16 years in prison back in 2006.

The ABC-7 I-Team has confirmed Woodall is now free on parole. She was released from prison April 2, 2009.

Monday,members of thejury heard from Richard Ham. Heused to work at the club as a manager and testified heknew prostitution was taking place at the club. He also went on record estimating 50 percent of the dancers at the clubwere having sex for money.

Ham went as far as confessing he had sex with a dancer in a private room inside the club. Coutta’s defense team tried to dismissHam’s recollections asinaccurate.

Court documents obtained by ABC-7 in 2003 allegedCoutta and Woodall knew dancers at their club were having sex with customers for money and that some of those girls were underage.

The indictment stated several men gave statementsconfessing to spendingthousands of dollars in theNaked Harem VIProom where the alleged prostitution took place.

Dancers at the club would perform various sex acts and then giveCoutta and Woodalla portion of the money they earned, according to the indictment.

The indictment alsoquoted Ham assaying income from the alleged prostitution activity was the main source of income for the strip club, prostitution at the club was solicited on a daily basis, and that Coutta and Woodall advised dancers they would make more money if they gave customers what they wanted.