Trammell Crow Jr, 72, is a property magnate and environmental philanthropist CREDIT: PMC
A billionaire Texan property tycoon linked to the Duchess of York has been accused of financing a sex-trafficking ring in the US.
Trammell Crow Jr, who
Sarah Ferguson has reportedly struck up a friendship with, has been named in a lawsuit by two women who claim he financed a sex and labour trafficking venture.
Mr Crow, 72, a property magnate and environmental philanthropist, met with the Duchess on his ranch near Austin, Texas earlier this year according to The Sun.
Mr Crow inherited his large fortune from his father Fred Trammell Crow, once known as America’s biggest landlord and a major Republican donor.
He reportedly struck up an unlikely friendship with the Duchess over their “shared interest in environmental issues".
It has since emerged that Mr Crow is facing a lawsuit from two women who claim they were sexually abused in a trafficking venture for which he provided the “essential financial assistance”.
Mr Crow's lawyer, Ken C Stone, said the accusations were “absurd and blatantly false”.
It is another embarrassing episode for the
Duke and Duchess of York, following
Prince Andrew’s settlement over sex abuse claims last year.
It is the latest embarrassing episode for the Duke and Duchess of York CREDIT: GETTY
The lawsuit, filed in California last November, names Mr Crow “and at least eight other prominent Texas businessmen” in the venture.
The filing claims the trafficking venture made one of the women became "a virtual long-term sex slave" and claims another of the women was also beaten and raped.
The trafficking ring utilised doctors, a police officer and others to keep the women drugged and become “an illegal racketeering enterprise”, the lawsuit claims.
It claims Mr Crow was involved at the very start of the trafficking ring in 2010, and knew “all the details of the force, fraud, threat, and coercion... and without him the venture never could have succeeded”.
It further claims the Texan billionaire maintained what he called "lingerie rooms" in his properties, "in which he kept a variety of lingerie for female guests to wear, as well as what he called ‘stripper shoes’.”
Some of the defendants in the lawsuit have filed a motion to dismiss the case. Mr Crow is expected to ask for the case to be dismissed at a hearing soon.
It comes as the Duchess and her ex-husband Prince Andrew fear losing their £30m Royal Lodge home in Windsor.
Prince Andrew stepped back from Royal duties after he reached an out-of-court financial settlement with his accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claimed he sexually abused her when she was 17.
The lawsuit claims Mr Crow knew “all the details of the force, fraud, threat, and coercion... and without him the venture never could have succeeded” CREDIT: PMC
The Duchess, 63, was reported to have flown to meet with Mr Crow earlier this month.
A source told The Sun: “Officially they’ve bonded over a shared interest in environmental issues, but it feels like a lot of discussions and a lot of air travel to solely discuss green matters.”
A spokesman for the Duchess told the newspaper: “The Duchess has only met Mr Crow once with others to discuss environmental issues.”
The Duchess was reportedly unaware of the allegations against the businessman and has no plans to work with or meet him again.
Mr Crow's lawyer, Mr Stone, told The Sun the story shared in the lawsuit was “upsetting and paints a picture of numerous troubled and broken domestic relationships.
“However, the account of events linking our client, and many others, to this story is both absurd and blatantly false.
“We are certain this will be made clear in future legal proceedings.”
