THE GIGOLO IS UP – FOR SEVEN YEARS

The Specialized Crime Division of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office was founded in 1974 to help make a dent in the $40-billion-plus world of white-collar crime. So it was a first in December when prosecutors Stephen Khoury and Ted Steinke found themselves doing battle against an apparent, er, gigolo. A small-timer at that: The lady-killer in question, a husky 27-year-old by the name of Douglas M. “Chuck” Walls, was charged with theft of less than $10,000. Unfortunately, Watts had spread himself thin; four local women were prepared to testify that they’d been intimate with him, and that he’d taken money for bogus “investments”; this opened the door to criminal prosecution under felony theft statutes, and brought the case to the specialized crime unit’s door. “It was petty compared to most of the cases we take on,” admitted Khoury, “but we knew it was strong.” The bleached-blond Watts never knew what hit him; after a one-day trial, the jury found him guilty and sentenced him to seven years in the state penitentiary. He is expected to appeal. Said his stunned father, owner of a company called Scamco, “The only thing he’s guilty of is being a good-looking boy. Women give him presents.”