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Cops, using the Net, nab five in prostitution ring; prostitutes children placed in foster care
[quote]BY MICHAEL FRAZIER
Newsday Staff Writer
June 9, 2006
Millions of online users turn to the popular Craigslist.com Web site in search for a home, tickets or a car, but many also use it to find sex.
Understanding that, Nassau police routinely monitored the site and this week arrested five people accused of using it to advertise prostitution.
Police said they suspect dozens of so-called Johns in recent weeks answered the ads and met for sex at motels in Plainview and Jericho.
"This is an ongoing problem to Nassau County and the metropolitan area ... that the vice squad is attentive to," said Capt. Steven Skrynecki of the Nassau County Vice Squad. "It's a constant battle to keep this under control."
Numerous resident complaints and undercover operations led to the arrests of the five who appeared Thursday in First District Court in Hempstead, authorities said. Police said they all, except a man-and-woman team, acted independently.
Craigslist.com, a site allowing Internet users to peruse and post notices for free, has more than 10 million visitors each month, the site said.
Illegal sex-for-money ads can be found under the site's erotic section. Some are accompanied by lewd or sexually explicit language and pictures.
"We received quite a bit of calls from parents ... and from adults themselves who ... find this to be offensive," Skrynecki said "It's a fine line in promoting prostitution and allowing advertisement."
Craigslist's founder, Craig Newmark, didn't return a call Thursday seeking comment.
On Tuesday, Ebony Gilreath, 21, of Brooklyn, was arrested on a charge of prostitution at a Plainview motel. Shaneesa White, 21, of College Park, Ga., and Keith Cowan, 23, of Riverdale, Ga., were arrested at a Jericho motel.
White had her daughter, 4, with her at the time of her arrest. The child was placed in a Suffolk County foster home, .police said.
When White met customers for sex, she left her daughter alone in the car outside the hotel room, police said. They said Cowan served as White's chauffeur and security guard.
White was charged with prostitution and endangering the welfare of a child. Cowan was charged with promoting .prostitution, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of marijuana.
On Wednesday, police arrested Claudinette Rodriguez, 38, of Miami Beach, and Victoria Finley, 21, of Orlando, Fla., at Plainview motels and charged each of them with prostitution.
Gilreath was released without bond, pending a June 19 court date.
White had a bail set of $2,000 cash or bond. So did Rodriguez.
Cowan was ordered held on a bail of $2,000 bond or $3,000 cash, while Finley's bail was set at $5,000 bond or $2,500 cash.
Craigslist has long been criticized for allowing unmonitored, and in some cases illegal ads, to be posted. Arrests stemming from sex ads posted there are occurring across the country.
Under federal law, Craigslist isn't liable for what appears on its site, said Kurt Opsahl, a staff attorney for the San Francisco, Calif.-based Electronic Frontier Foundation.[/quote]
'Lotion-application' business exposed as brothel, police arrest owner, prostitutes, customers
[quote]By Caitlin Ginley, Court TV Fri Jun 23, 6:11 PM ET
(Court TV) - Police say a body-lotion store in Boca Raton, Fla., offered more services than it advertised.
Located in a nondescript two-story office building, La Place was listed as a "manufacturer representative for cosmetics and/or lotions." But detectives say its advertisements in adult magazines such as "Xcitement" and "Adult Fun 411" feature scantily-clad Asian women and suggest a different kind of operation.
Boca Raton Sgt. Jeff Kelly said police exposed La Place as a brothel, where employees engaged in sexual activities with clients in exchange for money.
La Place's owner, Norman Pyecha, 69, four employees - Elizabeth Bedregal, 33, Jessica Beleno, 31, Sari Anne Johnson, 40, and Carmen Zapata, 31 - were arrested Monday on prostitution-related charges.
In addition, police arrested Alan Angell, 51, after he left La Place and charged him with purchasing the services of a prostitute.
According to reports, police received an anonymous tip last July about the prostitution operation at La Place. Customers would pay $40 to $80 to enter the store and then were taken to a back room, where they were told to "get comfortable."
The caller, who said he used to be a customer, said La Place was run by Pyecha and Thianthong Mung McCollough, who went by "Pam." McCollough would stash used condoms in soda cans to hide evidence in case police arrived.
Kelly said police began careful surveillance of the business and discovered evidence in a Dumpster, including used condoms and empty tubes of body cream.
Police also found torn-up pieces of paper that appeared to be prostitutes' schedules.
Detectives also monitored a Web chat room topic on Independentgirls.com, where some users described the sexual acts they experienced at La Place. One man wrote that he always left La Place with a "huge smile" and recommended a woman there who provided particularly exciting service.
"For any man, this is a must-see," he wrote.
Kelly said prostitution is not a victimless crime and presents a major health issue.
"These women have unprotected sex during the day with multiple partners," he said. "And then the men go home to their wives, significant others, who are really the silent victims."
Police were finally able to crack down on La Place more than a year after the investigation began. Kelly said detectives were simultaneously investigating another "adult massage parlor" down the street.
"When you hit one, the other ones tend to dry up," he said. "The customers get frightened."
Kelly said three other prostitutes employed at La Place and 42 customers will also be charged. He said prostitution tends to decrease when police target the "johns."
"If you take away the demand for these places, there won't be a supply," he said.[/quote][url]http://news.yahoo.com/s/ct/20060623/cr_ct/lotionapplicationbusinessexposedasbrothelpolicearrestownerprostitutescustomers;_ylt=AgD_lGy2ad16OT_rOAca1LtvzwcF;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM-[/url]
[quote]The caller, who said he used to be a customer, said La Place was run by Pyecha and Thianthong Mung McCollough, who went by "Pam." McCollough would stash used condoms in soda cans to hide evidence in case police arrived.
Kelly said police began careful surveillance of the business and discovered evidence in a Dumpster, including used condoms and empty tubes of body cream.[/quote]
[quote]Kelly said prostitution is not a victimless crime and presents a major health issue.
"These women have unprotected sex during the day with multiple partners," he said. "And then the men go home to their wives, significant others, who are really the silent victims."[/quote]
Wait a minute! Didn't the story just say the place would stash used condoms in soda cans? Where does the unprotected sex part come into play here?
The wives and SO's would really be victims if their men were so full of pent up sexual tension, they took it out on their women in a violent manner. Why do the always make it seem as though these male customers are [u]always[/u] in marriages/LTR's? Some of us aren't. Most of the mongers I've met from this site are not.
[quote]Kelly said three other prostitutes employed at La Place and 42 customers will also be charged. He said prostitution tends to decrease when police target the "johns."[/quote]
42 customers to be charged? Exactly how? Were there 42 customers there when they got raided? Must be one hell of an AMP! Must be some magical little black book they found. AMP's aren't stupid. 1: They won't keep a record of their customers, at least not real names. 2: If they use credit cards as payment, there is a great possibility the company used as the payee is not the AMP itself, but a legit business the AMP is connected to, such as a restaurant. This 42 was thrown out there to scare people.
Senator Wants IRS to Chase After Pimps
By MARY DALRYMPLE, AP Tax Writer
1 hour ago
WASHINGTON - Pimps and sex traffickers could soon find themselves being chased by tax collectors, not just the vice squad.
Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, wants the Internal Revenue Service to chase after pimps and sex traffickers with the same fervor it stalked gangster Al Capone for tax evasion.
Grassley, R-Iowa, would hit pimps with fines and lengthy prison sentences for failing to file employment forms and withhold taxes for the women and girls under their command.
The proposal would make certain tax crimes a felony when the money comes from a criminal activity. A one-year prison sentence and $25,000 fine would become a 10-year sentence and $50,000 fine for each employment form that a pimp or sex trafficker fails to file.
Grassley planned to propose the penalties when his panel meets Wednesday.
"The thugs who run these trafficking rings are exploiting society's poorest girls and women for personal gain," Grassley said. "The IRS goes after drug traffickers. It can go after sex traffickers."
Michael Horowitz, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said the change has the potential to put pimps out of business without difficult trials that require women to testify to abuse and mistreatment.
"We need to simply treat the pimps and massage parlor operators the way we would treat anybody who takes the proceeds of a customer transaction from somebody and then gives a fraction of it back," he said.
Under tax law, that relationship makes the pimp an employer, requiring the filing of a wage statement and the withholding of payroll taxes, including Social Security.
Grassley envisions creating an office inside the Internal Revenue Service to prosecute sex traffickers for violating tax laws. The office would get $2 million to get started, and it would be allowed to keep a portion of the taxes it collects.
The IRS work is intended to build on efforts under way to curb worldwide trafficking. The Justice Department, collaborating with U.S. attorneys offices nationwide, would identify pimps and sex traffickers and refer them to the IRS.
Grassley also wants to change the IRS whistleblower program to allow the girls and women to participate.
If the IRS goes after pimps and sex traffickers for tax offenses now, it conducts lengthy audits of their lifestyles in order to estimate their incomes from illegal activities and determine taxes due.
There seems to be a lot of confusion about decoy and stings. There is nothing wrong with stopping for a sw so long as you don't negotiate with her outside of the car. But one should not use term "date", because this can possibly be used for criminal "intent to solicit" in very rare circumstances. The only other problem is in cities like Oakland where they have a civil "intent to solicit law".
If there is a sw that I am interested in than I will stop for her. It never hurts to check.
I saw this on CL recently and thought it made sense:
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email this posting to a friend
ENTRAPMENT MYTH ABOUT LE EXPLAINED! - w4m - 35
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Reply to: [email]pers-362268110@craigslist.org[/email]
Date: 2007-06-28, 1:03PM EDT
Hey everybody,
I've noticed plenty of debate regarding a certain provider in Bel Air regarding whether or not she is LE, and I've even seen some postings questioning other providers and their status (whether they're LE or not)
Many of you believe that if a provider tells you she is not LE and she turns out to be LE that you can't be arrested because that is entrapment, because the LE lied to you.
THIS IS NOT TRUE.
Entrapment involves coercing you to do something that you normally wouldn't do.
Example:
You: Hi, I'd like to make an appointment to see you. Are you a cop?
Her: No. It's 100 roses.
You: I'll be over at six.
Her: Okay.
You show up, you get arrested. No entrapment here.
No matter what either of you says you are going to get arrested if in fact the "provider" is LE because YOU MADE INITIAL CONTACT.
If she sent you a random email asking you to come and see her, and in subsequent emails she was trying to convince you to see her, then THAT is entrapment, because you can prove that you did not make initial contact and were convinced to do something you never intended to do.
Coming onto CraigsList and sending a reply to anyone on here destroys your protection against claiming entrapment.
Bottom line- if you want to play this game, assume everyone is LE and you have to be prepared to go to jail.
There are no "safeguards". Asking someone if they're LE doesn't protect you.
Make certain you use a condom, and understand that condoms don't protect against genital warts.
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Rapid
Not sure how many read this catagory, wish I could post it on all city boards, but do not have the time and besides, Jackson may not appreciate it.
Saw this on the Seattle Review Board and thought it worth sharing here, if you just scan the article, make sure you read the last paragraph:
Heres the link: [url]http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/05/nyregion/05craigslist.html?hp[/url]
Here's the full text for when the link gets taken down in a few days:
[quote]September 5, 2007
Law Enforcement Targets Prostitution on Craigslist
By BRUCE LAMBERT
GARDEN CITY, N.Y., Sept. 4 — The eight women visited Long Island this summer along with vacationing families and other business travelers, staying in hotels and motels in commercial strips in middle-class suburbs like East Garden City, Hicksville and Woodbury. Their ages ranged from 20 to 32.
Three had come all the way from the San Francisco Bay area, one from Miami. Two lived less than 60 miles away, in Newark and Elizabeth, N.J. and two even closer, in Brooklyn.
All eight were arrested on prostitution charges here, snared in a new sting operation by the Nassau County police that focuses on Craigslist.org, the ubiquitous Web site best known for its employment and for-sale advertisements but which law enforcement officials say is increasingly also used to trade sex for money.
Nassau County has made more than 70 arrests since it began focusing on Craigslist last year, one of numerous crackdowns by vice squads from Hawaii to New Hampshire that have lately been monitoring the Web site closely, sometimes placing decoy ads to catch would-be customers.
“Craigslist has become the high-tech 42nd Street, where much of the solicitation takes place now,” said Richard McGuire, Nassau’s assistant chief of detectives. “Technology has worked its way into every profession, including the oldest.”
Augmenting traditional surveillance of street walkers, massage parlors, brothels and escort services, investigators are now hunching over computer screens to scroll through provocative cyber-ads in search of solicitors.
In July raids, the sheriff of Cook County, Ill., rounded up 43 women working on the streets — and 60 who advertised on Craigslist. In Seattle, a covert police ad on Craigslist in November resulted in the arrests of 71 men, including a bank officer, a construction worker and a surgeon.
And in Jacksonville, Fla., a single ad the police posted for three days in August netted 33 men, among them a teacher and a firefighter. “We got hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hits” in phone calls and e-mail messages, said John P. Hartley, the assistant chief sheriff there.
Sex and the Internet have been intertwined almost since the first Web site, but the authorities say that prostitution is flourishing online as never before. And while prostitutes also advertise on other sites, the police here and across the country say Craigslist is by far the favorite. On one recent day, for example, some 9,000 listings were added to the site’s “Erotic Services” category in the New York region alone: Most offered massage and escorts, often hinting at more.
Law enforcement officials have accused Craigslist of enabling prostitution. But the company’s president, Jim Buckmaster, said its 24-member staff cannot patrol the multitude of constantly changing listings — some 20 million per month — and counts on viewers to flag objectionable ads, which are promptly removed.
“We do not want illegal activity on the site,” he said. Asked whether the company supported the police’s placing decoy ads on Craigslist, Mr. Buckmaster said: “We don’t comment on the specifics” of law enforcement.
Craig Newmark, the site’s founder and chairman, deferred all questions to Mr. Buckmaster.
The police have also occasionally turned to Craigslist to trace stolen goods offered for sale or make drug arrests. In June, in Nassau, spotting code words like “snow” or “skiing” to refer to cocaine, they set up a sting with an undercover officer to arrest a man who advertised cocaine for sex.
Experts say that under the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996, the ads are legal and Web site owners are exempt from responsibility for content posted by users. Craigslist, for example, last fall won dismissal of a suit that alleged housing discrimination in ads posted on its Web site. “You hold the speaker liable, not the soapbox,” explained Kurt B. Opsahl, senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital civil liberties group based in San Francisco.
While Mr. Buckmaster said Craigslist was no different from old-media publications that have long carried sex-oriented ads, law enforcement officials say its scope and format are especially useful to the sex industry. With listings for some 450 cities around the world, Craigslist claims to have 25 million users and 8 billion page views a month. Posting advertisements, except those in the employment and some housing categories, is free, as is responding to them by e-mail.
“The Internet has allowed people to make contact in a way not possible before,” said Ronald Weitzer, a sociology professor at George Washington University and a researcher on prostitution. “Ten years ago this was not happening at all.”
As Nassau’s district attorney, Kathleen Rice, said of Craigslist: “It’s as easy as it gets.”
Tracy Quan, a member of the advocacy group Prostitutes of New York and author of the autobiographical novel “Diary of a Married Call Girl” (Harper Perennial, 2006), acknowledged that “the Internet became a virtual street for people in the sex industry,” but said that “the police are as inventive and as wily as sex workers are.” She said that the stings amounted to entrapment of consenting adults, and that “it seems like an enormous waste of time resources by authoritarian busybodies.”
The police say that Craigslist has changed prostitution’s patterns, with people roaming the country, setting up shop for a week or two in hotels — often near airports — where they use laptop computers and cellphones to arrange encounters for hundreds of dollars, then moving on to their next location.
“They like to move around, that’s for sure,” said Assistant Chief McGuire. “They’re flying in from out of state because there is money here” on Long Island.
In Westchester County this spring, the police in Greenburgh, Rye, Rye Brook and Elmsford formed a joint task force to investigate ads on Craigslist, resulting in 30 arrests. Some of those arrested were out-of-town prostitutes who booked numerous dates in advance, then whisked in for a busy couple of days, the police said.
In Sandpoint, Idaho, population 8,105, R. Mark Lockwood, the police chief, said that an arrest this summer involving Craigslist “was probably our first prostitution case since World War II.”
Amid the police crackdown, in a game of electronic cat-and-mouse, the authorities say that Web site users who get wind of enforcement sometimes post warnings to thwart investigators.
The Craigslist modus operandi provides mobility, helping prostitutes keep a few steps ahead of the law, law enforcement officials say. It also affords a degree of anonymity — if they are caught, being away from home makes an arrest less embarrassing.
Pimps have also adapted to the computer age, the police say. Among those arrested here in August, on charges of promoting prostitution, was Victor Teixeira, 31, of Mineola. “He was managing the technology of it,” said Assistant Chief McGuire. “He recruited the women on the Internet. He put different ads up sometimes three times day. He would screen the calls and make the appointments.”
Mr. Teixeira pleaded not guilty; he could not be reached for comment.
Most of the arrests are on misdemeanor charges, with convictions resulting in fines of a few hundred dollars; only repeat offenders risk jail time. The real penalties are the disruption of business, the cost of lawyers and the seizures of computers and cash — as much as several thousand dollars at a time. The police say the focus on such misconduct is worthwhile because prostitution is often linked to other crimes involving drugs, weapons, physical abuse and exploitation of minors and immigrants.
Law enforcement officials ask why Craigslist even includes Erotic Services among its 191 categories. Mr. Buckmaster, the company president, said the site created that category “at the request of our users” for legitimate massage, escorts and exotic dancers. In an e-mail interview, he said that the police had praised the company’s cooperation, though he did not give examples.
Despite police complaints that Craigslist facilitates prostitution, some experts say the Web site also aids enforcement.
“Craigslist is a very open site, and it leaves digital footprints,” said Leslie A. Harris, president of the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology. “It makes it easier for the police.”[/quote]
I am sure the answer to my question is already well documented on this site somewhere; but please advise on the BEST methods of avoiding an LE sting. Specifically, what are the best approaches to take upon contact with the provider to ensure she is legit.
Yes, this question is very common, but i am quite sure many newbies to your site would love all the advice they can get.
TY
[QUOTE=Imagoodguy12]I am sure the answer to my question is already well documented on this site somewhere; but please advise on the BEST methods of avoiding an LE sting. Specifically, what are the best approaches to take upon contact with the provider to ensure she is legit.
Yes, this question is very common, but i am quite sure many newbies to your site would love all the advice they can get.
TY[/QUOTE]Don't visit?
Sorry, but you're taking a chance if you go. Live with it.
One method that I use to avoid an LE sting and verify that the provider that I am interested in contacting is legitimate is search this site and other sites for reviews of the provider. If the provider does not have any reviews I do not go.
Here's a good website for CA sex laws.
From what I understand, there has to be a verbal agreement of sex for money between the people, and then the exchange of money for there to be an arrest. Would I be correct?
I also remember from hidden camera reports in hotels that approaching the undercover cop will get you arrested.
If this is so, could a person theoretically walk in and out as long as there is no verbal agreement to sex?
We should get this forum more active and place it in specific state areas.
[QUOTE=Dean Whitman]Here's a good website for CA sex laws.
From what I understand, there has to be a verbal agreement of sex for money between the people, and then the exchange of money for there to be an arrest. Would I be correct?
I also remember from hidden camera reports in hotels that approaching the undercover cop will get you arrested.
If this is so, could a person theoretically walk in and out as long as there is no verbal agreement to sex?
We should get this forum more active and place it in specific state areas.[/QUOTE]The law in California is simple, there has to be an agreement of sex for money. The money does not necessarily have to change hands, though they generally like to see this happen. The laws seem to be similar in other states, however, I would advise doing some more research on this to be certain.
If I were to approach someone, wherever, I would be very careful about agreeing to sex for money. You may want to save this part of the conversation until you have had a chance to check out the goods. An undercover will never expose themselves to you, or touch your goods. Ask them before discussing money to see their tits. If they refuse, move on quickly.
This has been an obstacle in busting some massage establishments. Legislation was passed in Texas a year or so ago allowing UC's to enter massage establishments and completely disrobe. Last I heard in the Dallas area, the mamasans were doing a 2 second BBBJ on customers as a test. I am not sure what happened to this law in Texas. It would likely face challenges in the courts before it could be implemented.
If you were ever caught up in a sting, NEVER admit anything. The cop will tell you (or hint) that you will be in more trouble if you do not come clean. Do not listen to this. I have seen people on TV get caught in the act and admit nothing. An angry cop then admits they have to let them go. You have a 5th ammendment right against incriminating yourself.
[QUOTE=Imagoodguy12]I am sure the answer to my question is already well documented on this site somewhere; but please advise on the BEST methods of avoiding an LE sting. Specifically, what are the best approaches to take upon contact with the provider to ensure she is legit.
Yes, this question is very common, but i am quite sure many newbies to your site would love all the advice they can get.
TY[/QUOTE]First hand example. I am with a provider in a massage parlor. The talk turns to $ and I do not acknowledge. I ask to see her tits. These girls should not be shy. Anyway, she quickly takes off her dress and is buck naked in front of me. No cop will get naked or expose bare breasts/snatch.
Another example at a massage establishment. After a weak 5 minute massage, I am asked to roll over, which I do. My johnson is hanging out and she grabs it and we discuss money. No cop will touch your goods.
[QUOTE=Bbennett]The law in California is simple, there has to be an agreement of sex for money. The money does not necessarily have to change hands, though they generally like to see this happen. The laws seem to be similar in other states, however, I would advise doing some more research on this to be certain.
If I were to approach someone, wherever, I would be very careful about agreeing to sex for money. You may want to save this part of the conversation until you have had a chance to check out the goods. An undercover will never expose themselves to you, or touch your goods. Ask them before discussing money to see their tits. If they refuse, move on quickly.
This has been an obstacle in busting some massage establishments. Legislation was passed in Texas a year or so ago allowing UC's to enter massage establishments and completely disrobe. Last I heard in the Dallas area, the mamasans were doing a 2 second BBBJ on customers as a test. I am not sure what happened to this law in Texas. It would likely face challenges in the courts before it could be implemented.
If you were ever caught up in a sting, NEVER admit anything. The cop will tell you (or hint) that you will be in more trouble if you do not come clean. Do not listen to this. I have seen people on TV get caught in the act and admit nothing. An angry cop then admits they have to let them go. You have a 5th ammendment right against incriminating yourself.[/QUOTE]
I know it's customary to touch each others goods before talking about price and or services. But... could you get arrested for touching them or exposing yourself to them? Personally, I always have the window down and ask if they want a ride. I then make small talk about the weather, etc. If they ask what I'm looking for before the cop check I usually say I'm from out of town and just driving around. I will always ask if they are a cop and then politely ask if I am touch them. About 75% of the girls at that point will then grab me back in return, the other 25% I'll ask them to touch me. But I always ask and I never flash or grab for them without asking.
Another point... if you use your right to remain silent is there a greater chance they will at least haul you in to jail? I've been lucky enough all these years to never have been pulled over but I suppose it will happen one day.