Coconut Creek police officer busted in alleged Asian massage parlor scam

Officer James Yacobellis allegedly secured prostitute at Boca Raton business

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – A South Florida police officer has been arrested for allegedly securing a prostitute in an Asian massage parlor sting in Boca Raton.

Local 10's Bob Norman reports Coconut Creek Officer James Yacobellis has a long history of complaints and is now in a position that has become familiar to him -- on paid leave pending both criminal and internal investigations.

"This officer engaged in outrageous behavior," said Broward County public defender Howard Finkelstein, who pushed for criminal charges to be filed against Yacobellis in 2012 in an unrelated case.

Yacobellis was accused at that time of menacing a teenaged suspect with a Taser in a bathtub. The state attorney's office investigated the complaint but chose not to file charges.

"He thought it was appropriate to put a teenager in a bathtub, run water (and) threaten him with a Taser to get him to confess to a crime of a stolen laptop," said Finkelstein.

Yacobellis was also investigated for allegedly falsifying records and taking a three-hour lunch break in a closed room at a community center with a female officer. Workers at the community center said they were partially undressed with their gun belts off during the lunch.

The explanation Yacobellis gave for having that long lunch was that it was hot outside and he needed to relax. Between the investigations, Yacobellis spent more than a year on paid leave at a cost of more than $100,000 to taxpayers and was allowed to return to the force.

"This officer needs to keep violating the law and theoretically he could be on permanent vacation for the rest of his life," said Finkelstein.

The prostitution charge now has Yacobellis once again on paid leave, according to Coconut Creek police spokesman Henry Cabrera.

"What's it take to get this officer off the force?" asked Norman.

"I don't know," said Carbrera, adding that the department is currently investigating the case. "I couldn't tell you."

Follow Bob Norman on Twitter @NormanOn10

Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10