June 10, 2011 04:21 AM UTC

BREAKING: Key Facts In Hancock Prostitution Scandal Corroborated

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• by: Colorado Pols

FRIDAY UPDATE: Complete Colorado adds some details on the open records request–make that requests–Monday, from Michael Hancock’s campaign and at least one news outlet seeking any surveillance evidence of Hancock having visited the Denver Players. As we said yesterday, DPD reports that no such photo or other record exists: it likely wouldn’t, given that his alleged visits would have taken place before the investigation of the Denver Players reportedly began.

CompleteColorado.com has obtained an email thread showing that KUSA Ch. 9 was the impetus behind an open records request by Mayoral-elect Michael Hancock’s team for any surveillance images of Hancock at a brothel linked to the “Denver Players” prostitution ring. The records request is the focus of a report by KMGH Ch 7. The records request did not deliver any results to either Ch. 9 or Hancock and his attorneys.

This clears up a question about the timing of this request, coming in response to one the campaign knew was being made by a media outlet. Although this records request was the lede of 7NEWS’ story last night, the confirmation of the authenticity of these records by the original owner and 7NEWS’ law enforcement sources is the more significant development (see below).

Also, 7NEWS has updated their story again with another unequivocal denial from Hancock:

“KMGH aired a story tonight with several unsubstantiated and false claims,” the statement said. “We are disappointed KMGH chose to air such unsubstantiated claims.”

The statement said the campaign was trying to cooperate with the media with their requests, but the statement did not address why the attorney was requesting that any negative information, if found, should be withheld.

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UPDATE: An update to this story from 7NEWS that would appear to rule out recent forgeries:

Sources said the documents with Hancock’s name and phone number exist in law enforcement files.

Please see: categorical denials. Not a positive development for Hancock.

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7NEWS is breaking major new details in the story of now Denver Mayor-elect Michael Hancock’s alleged link with the infamous Denver Players prostitution ring. A lengthy, must-read report:

7NEWS has been investigating the contents of client lists, appointment logs, schedule books and credit card receipts that Scottie Ewing, the former owner of the Denver Players escort service, has said were preserved from his business. Those documents make up the “black book” of information from the escort service.

Before it was raided in 2008, Ewing sold Denver Players to Brenda Stewart, but said he retained business records.

Hancock’s personal cell phone number and his misspelled name (Handcock) appear on the phone list. His phone number and first name appear on three different appointment logs…

7NEWS examined hundreds of documents linked to the escort service. None have years associated with them out of design, according to Ewing. He said the documents that indicate appointments for Hancock were from 2004, 2005 or 2006.

“The documents that show Michael Hancock was a client — are they accurate? Are they factual documents?” asked Zelinger.

“The documents are accurate, extremely accurate. There is not one phone number that is on that list that did not call in to use the services at some point,” said Ewing. [Pols emphasis]

Today’s late-breaking story from John Ferrugia, Marshall Zelinger and Art Kane of 7NEWS is the first confirmation from the owner of the records in question, ex-pimp Scottie Ewing, that the document originally released last week is authentic–insofar as it originally belonged to him, and does originate with the Denver Players prostitution ring. 7NEWS also reports that the Hancock campaign sent a records request to the Denver Police Department, asking for any surveillance evidence of a visit by Hancock to the Denver Players. While the DPD says there is no such photo, the records request curiously does ask that it not be released to the press if it does exist. Meanwhile, ex-pimp Ewing justifies releasing the information this way:

“After vaguely paying attention to some of the TV ads that were on — that were aired for the campaigns — someone that is running on a platform of their personal story and values and family, is somewhat hypocritical,” said Ewing. “I would think that the general public, the majority of them anyway, would think the same — that it is inappropriate behavior for someone to preach one thing while doing something on the other hand.”

Mayor-elect Hancock emphatically denies the truth of this story, and the veracity of the record posted by Complete Colorado now corroborated by Ewing–as he has from the start. Much like the mounting pressure against Rep. Anthony Weiner over his less serious sexual indiscretion scandal, this emphatic and categorical denial could turn out to be the real problem here. Make no mistake; Hancock is certainly innocent until proven guilty. But a politician caught in a bald-faced lie, particularly when that lie involves a crime, and especially when you get caught before you take the oath of office…well, if this does turn out to be true, it’s difficult to envision how Hancock can take office after he has boxed himself in with these unequivocal claims of innocence. And all of that before any questions are asked about the mysterious burglary of Ewing’s residence Monday, when his original copies of these records were reportedly stolen…

Remember the hypotheticals we discussed last Friday related to this story, the part about what might happen if it didn’t affect the outcome of the election, which it didn’t, but came out after Hancock won–perhaps even before he takes office?

It might be time to revisit that discussion very soon, folks.