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Shifty 'Slave' Testimony Sets 'Master Drew' Free

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By TODD LESKANIC

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 17, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Andrew Kobak, or "Master Drew" as he preferred, avoided prison Wednesday, thanks to the lies and questionable testimony of his former sex slave, Alyssandra Cardillo.

Cardillo's suspect statements forced prosecutors to drop 16 of the 19 charges against Kobak and instead agree to a deal resulting in just three years' probation for the former Port Richey resident.

Kobak, 35, pleaded guilty to one count each of deriving proceeds from prostitution, maintaining a place for prostitution and possession of marijuana. He'll serve his probation in Pennsylvania, where he lives.

For the three years, Kobak is to have no contact with Cardillo, cannot possess pornography and is barred from using any device to access the Internet, unless it's for work.

Although he avoided prison, Kobak didn't avoid a tongue-lashing from Circuit Judge Jack Day.

"I'd just like to say there's nothing masterful about being a pimp," Day said. "We have robbers, burglars, muggers and all kinds of gangsters that come through here, but there's nothing more contemptible than a pimp."

The plea brought a rather benign ending to a sordid case highlighted by a 10-page contract for Cardillo's total sexual obedience to Kobak. More curious was that the 19-year-old signed the contract willingly after meeting Kobak on a bondage, discipline and sadomasochism Web site.

"I did it because that's what he wanted," Cardillo told the Tribune last year. "He said it would make him happy. I trusted him."
Cardillo initially told investigators Kobak pimped her to more than a dozen men in the few days she spent at his Jasmine Boulevard home in Port Richey. Prosecutors had proof of at least one such incident because a confidential informant sent to the home paid Cardillo for sex.

As time passed, though, prosecutors began realizing Cardillo's account had problems, Assistant State Attorney Bruce Bartlett said.
Cardillo told detectives a family member had sexually abused her but later recanted the story. Testimony from two women who were in the house called into question the time frame Cardillo gave investigators, and she couldn't identify her sexual customers, except by first name. Cardillo and Kobak also continued to correspond by e-mail after Kobak's arrest, which Cardillo didn't tell prosecutors.

The nature of the case, coupled with the inconsistencies of Cardillo's statements, made it impossible to present her testimony to a jury.

"We were not dealing from a position of strength," Bartlett said. "We had so many defects that had been discovered, and every time we found out another piece, it was so bizarre. So aside from being detrimental to our case, it would be almost comical."
Cardillo signed her name to "Master Drew's Slavery Contract" on July 9, 2007, not long after traveling to Port Richey from her home in Silver Springs. She pledged housekeeping services, her body and life to Kobak for five years.

"My control over your life shall be unhampered and without limit," the contract reads. It also dictated what Cardillo could wear, her schedule, how she would act and the punishments for violating the terms. Those punishments included "slapping, ear or nipple piercing, nipple pinching, cropping, hair pulling, going to bed early, time-outs."

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (727) 815-1084 or tleskanic@tampatrib.com.

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