Judge, pastor, Broadway actor caught up in prostitution sting

Dave Osborn and Michael Braun | Naples (Fla.) Daily News

NAPLES, Fla. — A county judge, a pastor and a Broadway actor in Florida performing in a traveling production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King & I were among six men arrested in a prostitution sting at a Naples hotel.

Naples police arrested Patrick J. Boll, 53, of Weehawken, N.J., on Friday along with Lee County Judge Jay B. Rosman, Fort Myers pastor Richard Cecil and three others. The men had negotiated to pay an undercover officer $150 to $300 for sex acts, a police report states.

Boll contacted the undercover officer via cellphone or text, police said, and they agreed to meet at the hotel. Once there, Boll negotiated for the undercover officer to perform a sex act for $150.

Boll, who grew up in Grosse Pointe, Mich., has appeared on and off Broadway, on television shows such as Gossip Girl and The Good Wife, and in movies, including How To Be Single, Burn After Reading and Love Walked In.

He recently ended a long run in the Broadway version of Mamma Mia!

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The King & I ran Feb. 7-11 at Artis-Naples. Boll played the roles of Captain Orton and Sir Edward Ramsey last week and during at least one performance after the arrest, said some who attended the play.

Artis-Naples officials declined to comment.

Boll, charged with soliciting for prostitution, a misdemeanor, remains free on a $2,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in Collier County Court on March 7.

Pastor Richard Cecil, another of the six men arrested in the sting, pleaded not guilty Monday, waived his March 7 arraignment and asked for a jury trial.

Cecil, 47, of North Fort Myers, is being represented by attorney Landon Miller, of Naples.

"My office will be vigorously defending Mr. Cecil against the allegations," Miller responded Tuesday in a text message to the Daily News.

Cecil and his wife, Christina, run a ministry from their North Fort Myers home and have traveled to churches outside Florida.

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Bible Temple Church in Toledo, Ohio, advertised the couple’s Nov. 5 appearance on the church's Facebook page. The Facebook posting described the couple as pastors.

”Richard’s extensive Hebraic insight, humorous, dynamic, and engaging style endears him to a wide spectrum of pastoral engagements and ministry opportunities,” according to the Toledo church listed in a details section of the Facebook page.

Cecil could not be reached to comment.

The arrest report for Cecil said he made phone contact with a person who later was identified as an undercover officer and arranged to meet at the hotel. The report said that after arriving, Cecil negotiated performance of a sexual act for $200 and then was arrested.

The Lee County judge who was arrested, Rosman, 64, resigned Tuesday. He remains free on $4,000 bond and retained Naples attorney Shannon McFee.

Rosman, like Cecil, entered a plea of not guilty, waived his March 7 arraignment and asked for a jury trial.

The State Attorney’s Office for the 20th Judicial Circuit said it will request the governor's office reassign Rosman's solicitation and resisting arrest case.

In a letter sent to Gov. Rick Scott's office, Rosman referred to his separation from the bench as a "resignation/retirement."

"It has been an honor to serve the community since 1986," Rosman wrote. "In my retirement, I look forward to spending more time with my family and continuing to contribute to the community."

The letter speaks for itself, attorney McFee said.

"He, at this point, wanted to go ahead and resign and retire," McFee said. "We all know he's been charged and at this point, this is best for his family."

Attempts to reach Rosman were unsuccessful Tuesday.

Rosman was appointed a Lee County court judge in 1986 and became a circuit judge in 1992. He previously worked as an assistant state attorney and assistant public defender as well as in private practice.

In 2009, Rosman was a finalist to become a judge on the Second District Court of Appeals.

His latest re-election came in 2016. He served as chief judge for the 20th Judicial Circuit from 2011 until June 2015, according to his biography on the circuit’s page.

Rosman is married to Cathy Reiman, a Naples-based attorney. The couple has three children, according to his biography.

Rosman has been a finalist for the Governor’s Peace at Home Award, which is given to individuals and organizations that work to prevent domestic violence. He also wrote an article for the Nova Law Review on domestic violence.

Rosman's arrest photo was unavailable. Florida law allows withholding of mugshots of judges, law enforcement officers and certain other public officials.

Contributing: Melissa Montoya-Ocampo, Fort Myers (Fla.) News Press, and Patrick Riley and Sarajane Sullivan, Naples (Fla.) Daily News. Follow Dave Osborn and Michael Braun on Twitter: @NDN_dosborn and @MichaelBraunNP