Prostitution arrest Gaefu Zheng, 53, and Goubing Liu, 50, were arrested at 6:20 p.m. Tues., Dec. 4 at 137 E. Broadway between Pike and Essex Sts. and charged with promoting prostitution, according to a spokesperson for District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. When an undercover officer entered the building, Zheng asked him if he had been there before and after the officer said “yes,” Zheng and Liu offered him two prostitutes for $35 each. On hearing the offer, the undercover officer called backup officers, who were waiting outside.
Robbed at A.T.M. Two robbers robbed a man, 34, in a Chase Bank A.T.M. lobby at the corner of Anne St. and Broadway at 8 a.m. Sat., Dec. 8, police said. The victim surrendered $300 he had just drawn when one of the robbers pulled a black handgun, police said.
Grand St. robbery Police arrested two men, Ronald McCullough, 17, and Otis Harris, 19, in the basement of 504 Grand St. in the Grand St. co-op on Tues., Dec. 4 and charged them with second degree robbery for stealing $40 from the victim, 41, who was taken to the hospital after the 11:40 a.m. incident. A district attorney spokesperson said the circumstances of the incident are still under investigation.
Hudson Sq. fracas An argument between two men at 11:45 a.m. Mon., Dec. 3 on the southwest corner of Spring and Varick Sts. ended when one man hit the other in the face with a piece of packing crate wood and fled, police said. Police have not found the suspect.
Fights school guard A school safety agent at Chelsea Vocational High School, located in Hudson Square at 131 Sixth Ave., stopped a girl, 16, at the door at 8:50 a.m. Wed., Dec. 5 when a boy, 16, intervened and both struggled with the guard, police said. The two were charged with obstructing government administration. Police did not say why the girl was stopped originally.
Restaurant burglary A burglar pried open the front door of Province Chinese Canteen, 305 Church St. sometime between 9:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 8 and 9 a.m. the next day and made off with $75 from the cash register, police said.
Fresh owner pleads Eric Tevrow, owner of Fresh, the seafood restaurant at 105 Reade St. pleaded guilty last week to stealing $1.1 million in state sales and payroll taxes that should have been paid at Fresh and at two other Downtown restaurants that he closed a few years ago.
Tevrow, who closed Coast, 100 Liberty St., in 2005 and Shore, 141 Murray St. in 2004, pleaded guilty on Dec. 10 to stealing $979,759 in sales taxes from all three restaurants over a four-and-a-half-year period and stealing $133,312 in payroll taxes from Coast and Fresh.
According to the plea agreement with District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, Tevrow will serve four months in jail and will sign a restitution order for the entire amount. He will also pay interest and penalties that could total another $1 million. If he fails to abide by all the terms of the agreement he may be sentenced to up to 10 months in jail, according to the District Attorney’s office.
The manager of Fresh, Enrico Bessone, said on Wed., Dec. 12 that the restaurant, which is still in business, will continue to operate “the same as ever.”
Wall St. fracas Eric Cohen, 40, who was being ejected from 60 Wall St. for causing a disturbance in the office lobby at 12:15 p.m. Sat., Dec. 8 was arrested for repeatedly hitting the guard in the chest with a set of 10 keys and biting his right hand, police said. He was charged with third degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon — the keys.
Pickpocket arrest Lynn Vaughn, 42, who was arrested Aug. 12 for stealing a wallet at 3 p.m. from the bag of a shopper at 104 Prince St. at Greene St., was arrested again on Dec. 3 when police discovered that she was also suspected of stealing another wallet the same day 10 minutes earlier on Canal at Mercer St. She was being held this week in lieu of $10,000 bail on charges of grand larceny and possession of stolen property, according to a district attorney spokesperson.
Clean teeth A security guard at the Duane Reade store at 130 William St. stopped Kelvin Dennis, 57, at 3:30 p.m. Mon., Dec. 10 as he was trying to walk out with six Crest toothbrushes without paying for them, police said. Dennis had been arrested at the same store on March 22 for shoplifting and received a trespass notice barring him from the place. He was charged on Monday with the more serious offense of burglary for violating the trespass notice.
Lunchtime losses A patron of Bento Nouveau, 173 Broadway, who left his backpack under his chair for a moment at 1:30 p.m. Fri., Dec. 7 returned to find it had been stolen, police said. The victim’s wife was sitting at the table in the crowded sushi restaurant but did not notice the theft. The bag contained the victim’s laptop, Rolex watch and $250 in cash.
A Starbucks customer at 110 Maiden Ln. had her wallet with credit cards stolen from her bag at 1:30 p.m. Wed., Dec. 5, police said.
—Albert Amateau
