Undercover detective testifies she didn't discuss sex or money with 'Flush the Johns' defendant

A Nassau County detective who helped arrest a man charged with patronizing a prostitute last year testified Tuesday that she never specifically discussed sex or money with the man -- one of 104 people swept up in the Flush the Johns anti-prostitution sting last year.

Det. Tracey Cabey, who held the rank of police officer at the time, said Eddie Digsby, 54, of Uniondale telephoned her and talked about a $60 "special" he had seen on a website catering to prostitution, and she knew it was code for paid sex.

However, when questioned by defense attorney Brian Shupak, the detective admitted that the talk about the "special" was never written down by another officer who was responsible for logging details of each telephone solicitation, including the amount to be paid and the type of sex discussed.

Digsby was arrested on May 24, 2013, after he went to a Garden City hotel room to meet the supposed prostitute, who turned out to be Cabey. A video played in court Tuesday showed Digsby entering the room, bantering with the undercover and then starting to remove his shoes.

After he handed $60 to the undercover, a backup team rushed in and arrested him.

Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Murphy said in his opening statement that detectives had to use code words and "lingo" to avoid detection as undercover officers, and to avoid obvious sexual references that would get ads rejected by the website.

He also said that Digsby was aware of the exact amount when he went to the hotel, but the defense noted that the undercover was the first one to raise the issue of money in the hotel room.Digsby is the seventh defendant in the sting to protest his innocence and go to trial. Judges acquitted five of the six men who went to trial. More than 80 of the men have pleaded guilty to either the original misdemeanor charge of patronizing a prostitute, or to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct, a noncriminal offense. As with the other trials, Judge Martin Massell is hearing the case without a jury in First District Court in Hempstead.