Bulgarian arrested for trafficking prostitutes in France

CEDAR FALLS -- A Cedar Falls chef from Bulgaria has been detained so he can be sent to Europe to face human trafficking charges there.

A federal magistrate ordered Alexandre Ivov Martinov, 38, of 2203 Walnut St., be held pending a Friday hearing in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids.

Until about two months ago Martinov was a chef at The Olde Broom Factory restaurant, and in 2005 he received honors in the Chef of the Year competition hosted by the Iowa Restaurant Association.

The government of France is seeking to have Martinov, who also goes by the name "Salih," extradited under provisions of a treaty with the United States.

Martinov is charged with human trafficking and prostitution in France, and a warrant for his arrest was issued by an Orleans court in March 2004, according to records filed in Cedar Rapids.

"According to an investigation by authorities of the requesting state, the fugitive was trafficking women for prostitution in the French towns of Orleans, Blois, Tours, Lyon and Metz," records state.

French investigators allege Martinov recruited women from Eastern European countries, gave them documents to enter France and even drove them through Italy to enter France. He also purchased women from other operators, records state.

An Interpol warrant indicates he was involved with "high to mid-level organized criminal activity."

French officials are expected to provide papers demanding extradition within 60 days.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for Northern Iowa is asking the court for a hearing to establish the crime.

If the court deems the evidence is sufficient, it would certify the results to the U.S. Secretary of State so Martinov could be surrendered to France.

Creative cook

Martinov was born in Bulgaria and is a naturalized United States citizen. He trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and worked in George V Paris.

He worked at a number of establishments in Waterloo and Cedar Falls over the years, including Cu, the Cedar Falls Holiday Inn and the Elks Club, said Dorothy Stitt, who operates the Broom Factory.

He also appeared on a cooking segment on KWWL-TV but is no longer associated with the station.

News of Martinov's charges came as a surprise to Stitt.

"People enjoyed his classes. He's kind of like Emeril (Lagasse, the popular chef on the Food Network cable station), and he's funny, and you could taste his food and ask him questions," Stitt said.

Stitt said she runs a respectable restaurant -- banning smoking and not serving more than two drinks to a customer in an hour -- and worries about what his arrest could mean for her establishment.

"I hate it. I'm one who lives to the letter of the law," she said.

Stitt said Martinov started working at the Broom Factory a few years ago and sometimes drifted to other restaurants, returning when he tired of those places.

Martinov's wife was sent to France for work, and he followed and honed his culinary skills while in Europe, Stitt said. When he returned, he resumed work at the Broom Factory.

Stitt said the two later divorced -- apparently in 2002, according to court records. Then about two months ago, Martinov left the Broom Factory and Cedar Falls to travel to Turkey to marry a woman.

He returned to the states, Stitt thinks he has been back only a few days, and once dropped by to talk to his acquaintances in the kitchen.