Miami Madam Accused of Disguising Brothels as Beauty Supply Stores

In most cases, when you walk into your local beauty supply store, you are looking for cosmetics, maybe a new hair tool or even a last-minute wig for a costume party. There are also bigger beauty havens such as Sephora or Ulta in which staff members are happy to help you find exactly the right products to add to your beauty routine. The last thing you are probably thinking is that your “beauty supply store” of choice could be running a whole other operation that’s in the midst of being shut down.

Well, that actually was the case for one business in Florida. In Miami-Dade County, Dolls Beauty Supply was accused of offering customers much more than “beauty products.” Business owner Margarita Chiriboga was arrested on a warrant this Wednesday for allegedly running brothels that she fronted as beauty supply stores.

An investigation surrounding Chiriboga’s mysterious business went on for over a year before detectives were able to conclude that she had been running a brothel.

ABC’s Local 10 News reported that when an undercover detective visited the store, it appeared abandoned with blacked-out windows, but inside there was a waiting room with couches and a mix of massage lotions on display. An employee came out to help the detective, but once he inquired about beauty products, he was turned away and instructed to contact “Sofia,” which was the name Chiriboga’s workers knew her by.

A few days later an officer called to make an appointment and was eventually given a location to go to receive services. Once he arrived, it was explained to him that a massage would be $120 but a massage along with a “hand job” would be $150.

According to Chiriboga’s Wells Fargo bank statements, her beauty supply fronts brought in nearly $320,000 over 2 1/2 years. As this was her main source of income, she also cut herself a monthly check of $5,000.

The 48-year-old madam has since been arrested and charged with a variety of prostitution and money laundering charges in addition to also being fined for unauthorized use of a business.

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