Anonymous to Michael Hancock: Resign or We'll Expose Your Tie to Prostitution Ring

Back in March, we reported about threats of doxxing and more from Anonymous.

The organization targeted Denver mayor Michael Hancock and others over the city's homeless policies.

Now, in a newly released video, Anonymous says it's running out of patience with Hancock to do the right thing by Denver's homeless population.

During the clip, on view below, the group demands that the mayor "restore the rights of the homeless" and "resign as an elected official" even as it promises to unearth proof that Hancock was a customer of a prostitution ring associated with Denver Players — a scandal that crested right around the time of his 2011 election.

The video and an accompanying package of links assembled by Anonymous feature numerous Westword stories about Denver Players, headed by one Scottie Ewing.

Prior to launching Denver Players, as we've reported, Ewing was best known for his association with the on-premises club Sindicate, which closed in 2005. Two years later, Ewing was back in the news via a swingers' club he'd opened at 3648 Navajo Street. That project was followed by the launch of Sugar House, which our Patricia Calhoun described as a "restaurant/bar/(very) short-time hotel" in a 2011 post about its building going on the block.

But federal agents didn't believe Sugar House was Ewing's sole means of support. In May 2010, the IRS came after Ewing, alleging that he'd been using a company called Sindicate Media & Consulting to "disguise from the Internal Revenue Service the true source and amount of the income he received from Denver Sugar/Denver Players," the aforementioned prostitution ring. His indictment on tax charges got national play via the sports website Deadspin.

By the following November, Brenda Stewart, an ex-escort with an ownership stake in Denver Sugar/Denver Players, had also been hit with charges related to tax evasion, racketeering, money laundering and more.

The next February, Ewing cut a deal to testify against Stewart. His punishment: six months of home detention.

Ewing was allowed to work at Sugar House while serving this sentence — and that presumably offered thieves the opportunity to bust into his house and swipe a computer that included what the Denver Post described as "a client list and appointment sheets."

Anonymous refers to this data as a "Black Book."

Among the organization's latest data dump were numerous images from the sheets, which were shown to media outlets before the theft. Among them is this one, which features the name "Mike Handcock" and the designation "Wrks4City"; before becoming mayor, Hancock was a member of the Denver City Council.

In June 2011, after Hancock was elected mayor, the Post and 9News attempted to definitively tie him to Denver Players via phone records, but failed to do so.

Since the image above states that "Handcock" called from different numbers and used pay phones, however, plenty of loopholes remained.

The Anonymous video re-floats all of these possibilities before offering this promise: "We plan to expose what has been hidden for years. With the powers of Anonymous bearing down on you and your corrupt cronies, its only a matter of time until we uncover the dirt you been trying to hide from the community you lied your way into leading, from the depths of your closet. No skeleton will be left unturned."

Below, see the video, followed by its script.


Video script:

Greetings Mayor Michael Hancock,

We have been patently waiting for you to respond to our most recent request, but we find ourselves growing impatient of your foot-dragging. Unfortunately it seems you have made the option to ignore our presence and therefore we have decided to dedicate an operation specifically for you, a present of sorts.

Do you perhaps remember the Black Book from The Denver Players Club, The Prostitution Ring that was uncovered back in 2008, Mr. Mayor? This was the very same prostitution ring that brought down Judge Edward Nottingham.

This Black Book contained a log sheet of customers who used the Escort Services. As fate would have it, your name was found within its pages, along with your personal phone number, and a note describing your occupation as a city official.

This information was brought to the attention to every major news outlet in Colorado, by the former owner of the Denver Players Club, Scottie Ewing. Shortly thereafter, the owner of the Players Club was prosecuted, and he was allowed to work at The Sugar House while serving out his term. This opened up a grand window of opportunity for his residence to be burglarized. The thieves came for his laptop, and other documents which contained evidence of your transactions with the escort service- leaving the other contents of the residence untouched.

The incident was "investigated" by your attorney, combing over the details of the crime with a fine-toothed comb, ensuring your involvement with the Escort Service would be hidden to the naked eye. We, however, have noticed many flaws in the investigation by your campaign team, your attorney, and the Denver Police.

Any evidence that would directly implicate you, such as your phone records and video that were requested by your attorney for Discovery were withheld from the media, scrubbing them so as not to tarnish your image during election season, instead of handing them over immediately. This window of time also allotted your campaign team the time necessary to manipulate the raw documents. All documents that were eventually released through your attorney were heavily redacted, and contained many flaws.

A very methodical and systematic process for verifying customers was in place, according to documents and statements made by the owners of the Denver Players Club, leaving little room for speculation as to your participation in, shall we call it, your extracurricular activities. Your direct phone number was used in said verification process, but your calls to book the escort service were conducted pay phone, also noted in the documents from the black book. This was a critical piece information the media coincidentally failed to report, along with your attorney, and campaign managers. Various news stations even releasing statements that they were under instructions not to report the story, a proverbial blackout.

We have managed to dig up said documents, leaked. And the Black Book logs from the escort service show your phone number in three different instances, Mayor Hancock. Tsk, tsk. Is it a coincidence the black book documents were stolen days after they were shown to the media? Anonymous thinks not.

We plan to expose what has been hidden for years, With the powers of Anonymous bearing down on you and your corrupt cronies, its only a matter of time until we uncover the dirt you been trying to hide from the community you lied your way into leading, from the depths of your closet. No skeleton will be left unturned.

Within your stint in office, you have ignored the endless deaths by law enforcement on the streets of Denver, and you have allowed over 200 children to die under the supervision of c.d.h.s. You have created a systematic failure in regards to your petty 10 year plan to end homelessness, swindling tens of thousands of dollars behind council members to achieve your own agendas throughout the city, those you have a vested interest in.

We are now asking for you to restore the rights of the homeless, nay, demanding, and resign as an elected official.

You have failed to protect those in vulnerable living conditions, you have failed your civic and moral duties as a public official, and you have failed those you purport to govern in your continual lapse of honesty.

This is a call out to all other Anonymous, its time to put Mayor Hancock's proverbial money where his mouth is. DO your research to dig, and leave no stone unturned.

Mayor Hancock, we provided you with ample time to remedy our grievances and provided a bevy of options, but you have decided to create a much larger battle.

We will never forgive the lies, and although you may have, we will never forget the lives that have been lost under your regime.

We are anonymous, its too late to expect us.