[QUOTE=NuGuy36;3222486]I'm curious why the FED's went after each girl under RICO. The owners of the agency, perhaps, but to go after the ladies, who are just independent contractors, makes no sense whatsoever? It's like the FED's went creek fishing with an AK47 instead of using a fishing rod with worm bait.[/QUOTE]As Acaryu says, it's to scare the girls and leverage cooperation from them; nothing breaks loyalty like the threat of taking *everything*.
One of the best tools The State can use is scaring people with the complexity of dealing with the criminal justice system, especially once you're in it (sitting in a jail cell), and you just want your life to return to normal. I have a PhD (physics) and *I* would never try to negotiate the court system without an attorney (or several); it's just too complex, and too many things can go wrong, and it's too easy to game it once you have folks on the inside (like connected lawyers). I even have an attorney take care of traffic offenses, because I take no chances with the criminal justice system.
But here's some 19 yo girl, probably a high school dropout (escorts are hardly the educational cream at the top), and very likely with various minor priors (it's easy to guess: possession, shoplifting, DUI are the Stripper Trifecta, and probably apply to escorts as well), and it's a 100% chance that they'll say anything the the wants them to: "oh, yeah, they picked me up at a bus stop, gave me drugs, and trafficked me!
The gets to tell the media about how he "busted up a major human trafficking ring". Wash and wear; it's that easy.
Anyway, this too shall pass, but it's best to avoid agencies at the moment.
O.
