Kirkland firefighter involved in prostitution ring agrees to retire

Published 6:34 pm Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Kirkland firefighter Michael David Aguilar Varela is retiring from the department, ending an internal investigation into his involvement in a prostitution ring earlier this year.

The city of Kirkland was unable to comment on the matter other than to confirm Aguilar’s retirement.

The investigation came about after Aguilar became entangled with a prostitution ring in February that resulted in the arrest of an alleged gang member, who threatened Aguilar for allegedly failing to pay a 19-year-old prostitute. The prostitute, who had a history of drug addiction and had her infant taken by Child Protective Services shortly after birth, stayed at Aguilar’s house for several days. He insisted to police they did not have sex, despite sleeping in the same bed together, and that he had been trying to get her help for her drug problem.

Several days later the woman’s CPS worker showed up at the firefighter’s home. Shortly after, the prostitute left in a blue vehicle driven by a black male.

A few minutes later Aguilar received a phone call on his cell from a man claiming he wanted his money and that Aguilar had stolen $600 from the prostitute’s purse. In later interviews with police, the prostitute told police the man in the car was her “boyfriend.”

In the written statement, Aguilar told police the man on the phone also said to him “I don’t give no [expletive] about no [expletive] police. I’ll burn your [expletive] house down!”

In March, police conducted an undercover sting that resulted in the arrest of Dorond Alfred Bray, 39, of Los Angeles, for felony harassment and promoting prostitution. He was also believed to possess a stolen firearm. His blue BMW was identified as the same vehicle that pulled up in front of the firefighter’s house, though it is owned by his ex-girlfriend because he has no insurance, according to court documents.

Aguilar received immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony against Bray.

Bray had been previously convicted for armed robbery and sentenced to 15 years, the documents continue. He is also a convicted sex offender and was convicted in February in Pierce County for failing to register, according to court documents.

Bray was later released from King County Jail on a work release program and came to Kirkland City Hall, which prompted an emergency meeting for the Kirkland Fire Department safety committee.

The 19-year-old alleged prostitute got married in June, according to her new social worker.

During the police investigation, cell phone records obtained from Aguilar’s phone revealed he had contacted eight separate numbers between February and March that were also on Backpage.com.

Prior to the February incident, Aguilar had been arrested in 2011 during an undercover sting operation in Seattle, though the charges filed were later dismissed with prejudice after he had met conditions as the result of a dispositional continuance.