Guilty pleas in sex sting at building owned by Modesto councilman

The two people arrested in a prostitution sting in a building owned by Modesto Councilman Mani Grewal have pleaded no contest, and one of them has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Afamefuna Odiwe, 34, and Romela Hidalgo, 41, entered no contest pleas in Stanislaus Superior Court on Tuesday, according to district attorney’s office spokesman John Goold. He said the pleas are essentially the same as pleading guilty.

Goold said Odiwe pleaded to felony pandering and was sentenced to prison, while Hidalgo pleaded to being an accessory, a felony, and was sentenced to time served and three years’ probation. Court records show she spent one day in jail before posting bail. Odiwe has remained in custody since he and Hidalgo were arrested March 16.

“Overall, this is a good outcome to a difficult case,” Police Department spokeswoman Heather Graves said.

The two had been operating Asian Filipina Massage at 614 Scenic Drive for about a month when Modesto police conducted an undercover operation in March after receiving complaints. The building is owned by Grewal, but he said Wednesday he is in the process of selling it.

“I’m pleased that this person has been brought to justice,” Grewal said about Odiwe.

Grewal has said he and his property manager did not know about any problems until after Odiwe signed the lease. Grewal also has said a background check of Odiwe came back clean. Grewal has said he and his property manager started investigating when neighbors complained. Those complaints included a Google Plus account that featured sexually suggestive advertisements for the business.

Asian Filipina Massage operated in a Burney Street building last year. The Burney landlord took Odiwe to court to evict him for violating the lease. Arturo Portillo has said he leased space to Odiwe for a boutique selling lingerie and accessories. But he said Odiwe opened a massage parlor, in violation of the lease. He said the front door was kept locked and customers came and went from a rear entrance. But the court ruled Odiwe had violated the lease because he painted the building pink without permission.

Grewal questioned in March why the city was transferring the business licenses for Odiwe and Hidalgo to operate in his building when there were red flags when they operated on Burney Street.

Odiwe originally had been charged with human trafficking and Hidalgo with solicitation of prostitution and pandering. Police said they found other women in the building during the sting and one was a victim of human trafficking. Hidalgo cannot have any contact with the woman. Court records show Odiwe has a 2003 robbery conviction in Santa Clara County.

The Koohanim Law Firm represented Odiwe and Hidalgo. Messages left with the firm Wednesday seeking comment were not returned.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Guilty pleas in sex sting at building owned by Modesto councilman."