Officer is "bewildered" his name is connected to accused "Manhattan Madam" Anna Gristina, says lawyer

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - A New York City police officer has been ordered to give internal affairs investigators his work log for the past five years, after someone reported he had been to the Upper East Side apartment building where prosecutors say trysts arranged by alleged madam Anna Gristina took place.

Pictures: Accused "Manhattan Madam" Anna Gristina

But Sgt. Richard Wall's lawyer says his client is "bewildered" that his name has come up in the story.

"We honestly don't know how that happened, said attorney Andre Quinn, who added that Wall has "no involvement with this woman and with this allegation."

He said that, as far as he knew, Wall was not under any criminal or administrative investigation.

Gristina, a 44-year-old suburban mother of four who lives on a 12-acre property in Monroe, N.Y., has pleaded not guilty to promoting prostitution, a low-level felony. Her lawyers say she was working on building an online dating service and has been hit with wrongful and unfair allegations.

She is currently jailed on $2 million bond.

Prosecutors say that during a five-year investigation, Gristina was heard saying she'd made millions of dollars over about 15 years by running a Manhattan prostitution ring and claimed to have law enforcement connections who would tip her off if she was about to get in trouble.

No police officers have been charged in the case.

Prosecutors have said that Gristina was arrested Feb. 22 on a midtown Manhattan street having just come from a meeting at a friend's Morgan Stanley office. She was trying to raise money for a new venture, which authorities believed might be an online prostitution business, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Charles Linehan told a judge on Feb. 23.

The friend was David S. Walker, a financial adviser for Morgan Stanley's money management arm, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details the person was not authorized to release.

Walker, whose name was first reported by Fox Business Network, hasn't been charged with any crime. He told the news website DNAInfo that he had known Gristina for several years but never had any business dealings with her. She knew "plenty of other people at Morgan Stanley," he told the site.

Morgan Stanley would say only that it was looking into the matter.

Meanwhile, an alleged accomplice of Gristina's, identified in news reports as Jaynie Baker, remained at large Wednesday.

Baker was until recently listed as the recruiting director for VIP Life, a high-end matchmaking service.

Founder Lisa Clampitt said Baker, a social butterfly and "really sweet gal," was a freelancer who never referred a client and wasn't paid during the six months she was associated with VIP Life. She said she'd been unable to reach Baker in recent days.

Gristina is a legal U.S. resident originally from the Scottish Highlands who rescues animals, helping abandoned pet pigs find new homes, and is a former real estate broker, according to her lawyers and their investigator.

Attorney Peter J. Gleason said Gristina aimed to set up a matchmaking service for upscale clients.

Linehan, the prosecutor, told a judge on Tuesday that Gristina had a roster of wealthy clients and friends who "have an interest in not having this case go forward" and could help her flee.

Prosecutors have said some of the trysts Gristina arranged involved minors, though Linehan told a judge last month he didn't know how old they were.

Gleason has stringently denied Gristina had any dealings with underage girls. On Wednesday, he called the allegation "a disgusting, deplorable ploy" to subject Gristina to hatred from her fellow jail inmates.

"Inmates will turn against another inmate who has been charged with crimes against children," said Gleason, a former police officer.

Gristina is due back in court on May 3. If convicted, she could face up to seven years in prison.

More on Crimesider
March 6, 2012 - DA: NYC "madam" Anna Gristina made millions in prostitution ring, bragged about help from police