HERALD NET — A Snohomish, Wa., woman under investigation for allegedly using her espresso stands as drive-through brothels is demanding that cops give her back the $250,000 in cash they confiscated.
Carmela Panico, the owner of Java Juggs and Twin Peaks coffee stands, recently filed a lawsuit against Everett and the city’s police chief. She alleges detectives wrongfully seized a quarter of a million dollars and a 2012 Ford Expedition. Panico, 51, is asking a Snohomish County Superior Court judge to order Everett to return her property and to award her legal fees.
The lawsuit was filed after the city officials notified Panico that they planned to keep the cash, alleging that it was proceeds from criminal activity, including money laundering. Detectives allege that Panico is “living a lavish lifestyle” financed through “organized crime.”
City officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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