Police Say Restaurant Called "Java Juggs" Also Had Sex On the Menu
Police say the owner of an anatomy-focused cafe called Java Juggs may have taken the adage "sex sells" a bit too far, allegedly raking in millions of dollars with a less-than-legal side business.
Carmela Panico, who also owned a coffee shop called Twin Peaks, was arrested and charged with prostitution and money laundering Thursday. Police say baristas were required to wear bikinis to work and were docked pay if they weren't tan enough or if they failed to wear makeup or high heels during their shifts.
She bought property and coffee huts with other cash, sometimes bringing along a money counter to dole out the bills. Her baristas reported making hundreds of thousands of dollars out of her stands, working mainly for tips. The women told cops the price for a cup of coffee started at $6 and customers typically paid with a $20 bill. The baristas kept the rest to shake their breasts or expose their genitals. They charged more for sex acts with the droves of men who stopped at the stands, mainly located along Highway 99 in Snohomish County.
Panico, a former nude dancer, allegedly pocketed $2 million in less than three years with a profit margin prosecutors say was "twice that of well-run, established coffee stand."
And she apparently had help. Last summer, a sheriff's sergeant was arrested for tipping Panico off to undercover investigations—allegedly in exchange for sex.
