Former university head jailed in prostitution case
By JERI CLAUSING, Associated Press
Jun 23, 2011 8:32 PM CDT
This booking photo provided by the Albuquerque Police Department. shows F. Chris Garcia. The former University of New Mexico President was arrested and jailed Thursday, June 23, 2011 in connection with a multistate, online prostitution ring that authorities say was run by a physics professor from...   (Associated Press)

Former University of New Mexico President F. Chris Garcia was arrested and jailed Thursday in connection with a multistate, online prostitution ring that authorities say was run by a physics professor from New Jersey.

Police said Garcia, 71, and Fairleigh Dickinson professor David Flory, 68, were among seven members identified in the top echelon of the ring. Six have been arrested, and warrants have been issued for one more, Albuquerque police Chief Ray Schultz said.

Investigators said the ring had some 1,400 members, including 200 prostitutes, but there was no indication that any other universities or students were involved.

"At this point it looks purely coincidental" that two of the top members were academics, police Lt. William Roseman said.

Schultz emphasized the investigation had just started and that human trafficking and racketeering charges were possible.

Members of the site paid anywhere from $200 for a sex act to $1,000 for a full hour of time, Roseman said. The prostitutes were paid in cash by the clients, not through the site, police said.

Garcia was part of the "hunt club," whose job was to look for new prostitutes for the site known as Southwest Companions, police said, declining to release a range of ages for the women.

Garcia was arrested at his home. Police said he used the handle "Burque Pops" and was trying to delete his postings and other information linking him to the site.

Police said the site operators did not appear to be in it for the money.

"This was about sex," Roseman said, noting that a lot of the clients had too much to lose to go looking for prostitutes on the street. "They needed a safe place where they could go to do this."

Roseman said Flory described the site to police as a hobby.

The operators were also using the site to build a database of undercover police officers to help members recognize them and avoid arrest, police said.

Police said the site was started in 2005 by Cara Garrett, who first tipped vice officers to its operation after she was arrested on drug, child abuse and prostitution charges in December. Garrett was arrested again on Wednesday in Roswell for investigation of threatening another informant in the case.

In 2007, police said, Garrett sold the site to another suspect in the case, Mike Dorsey. He sold the site in 2009 to Flory, who has homes in Manhattan and Santa Fe, police said.

Authorities said the ring was based in the Albuquerque-Santa Fe area but reached into Phoenix and Denver. The membership base included individuals from a cross-section of society.

"There are probably some very nervous people out there right now," said Albuquerque Public Safety Director Darren White.

Garrett, Dorsey, Garcia, Flory and two men identified as Porter Smith and Douglas Plummer have all been arrested in the case. Arrest warrants have been issued for one other person, identified as Virginia Harringer of Santa Fe. Garrett was arrested in Roswell and Smith was arrested in Aztez. The rest were in the Albuquerque-Santa Fe area, police said. Attorneys for the suspects could not be immediately identified for comment.

Plummer, Garcia and Smith were all members of the hunt club, police said, along with at least four others.

Roseman said he did not know how Garcia and Flory got to know each other. He said Garcia declined to speak to officers after his arrest.

Garcia is professor emeritus of political science at the University of New Mexico. He served as interim president of the university from 2002 to 2003. A distinguished professor and well-known expert on New Mexico politics, Garcia served from 1987 to 1990 as vice president of academic affairs, a position now called provost. He was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1980 to 1986.

Garcia is also an author whose 11 books include "Hispanics and the US Political System" and "Moving into the Mainstream.

In a statement, the university said Garcia was temporarily suspended at the direction of UNM President David J. Schmidly.

UNM called his arrest "a severe blow" and characterized the allegations as "shocking, distressing and deeply disturbing." The university said it would cooperate fully with the investigation.

The halls at the university's political science department were quiet Thursday afternoon, and Garcia's office door was closed and locked.

University officials said the emeritus professor had no classes scheduled for the summer.

"It kind of scares me because you have to trust these professors and then when they do this kind of thing, it's like how can you trust anyone, especially someone who's in a higher power," said Marie Gonzales, a recent high school graduate from Albuquerque who was visiting campus.

Flory posted bond and was released from jail in Albuquerque Wednesday night.

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Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan contributed to this report.

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