Police officer charged in prostitution ring

A former Reading police officer was arrested today and charged with participating in a sex-trafficking operation while on the police force.

Ronald Miko, 37, allegedly helped two Berks County men set up a prostitution ring in 2007 that did business under the name "cashmoneybrothersescorts.com," federal prosecutors said. Several of the prostitutes working for the organization were under 18. Miko, the feds allege, gave advice to codefendants Paul Sewell and Michael Johnson about the women and girls employed by the ring.

Wearing his police uniform and driving his police cruiser, Miko visited the business on Fisher Court several times a week, prosecutors said.

When Sewell and Johnson were charged by a federal grand jury in July 2010, Miko allegedly tried to convince Johnson to keep secret his participation in the ring and wired money to Johnson's prison account to ensure Johnson would remain quiet.

Miko, who faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, was charged with one count of obstruction of a criminal investigation.