Biggest concern: Vague, ever-expanding definition of Trafficking
[QUOTE=TomMcAn;4175861]You make a good point. Even if the Patriots' owner beats the charges, he'll forever have to live down the embarrassment of his arrest. The same is true for the other mongers arrested, even if one or more judges rule that Uncle LEO went overboard and dismiss the charges. Restoring one's good name is even harder to do in the age of the Internet.[/QUOTE]I read the affidavit again and what jumps out at me is how easy it was to classify this as a "trafficking" investigation. I only saw two (flimsy) items mentioned in support. First, the Jupiter, FL detective mentions that he was told by a nearby LE agency that THEY were investigating trafficking in THEIR jurisdiction and wanted to give a heads-up that a similar business was located in Jupiter. Second, the business inspector noted sleeping areas inside the spa, as well as storage for clothes and other indications that some women were living in the business.
Trafficking, as I understand how it works, needs to involve some degree of force, or intimidation, or use of minors who can't legally give consent. Even if real trafficking was happening nearby, there's no justification for leaping to the conclusion that a "similar" business must also be engaged in trafficking. And what constitutes a similar business? Any massage establishment owned or operated by Asians? What about non-Asian places, eh? How racist is that! About living in the spa, that's certainly a code violation, but trafficking? How many Asian women on the East Coast travel from their homes, in places like NYC, to work in these spas? Since their goal is to make and save as much money as possible, it's understandable if they stay in the spa, or with the spa manager, to avoid having to rent an apt or hotel room. But the most important point is that that's a completely rational explanation which involves no force or intimidation whatsoever. My favorite, and totally legit, AMP has an area where therapists can sleep when things are slow.
The bottom-line is that all LEO currently needs to do is label something as Trafficking and they pretty much have a blank check to do whatever they want. Any AMP, even legit ones, could be targeted. Asian crapshoot places, agencies, and arrangements where several women work together from the same apt are all fair game.
And, as the Jupiter incident shows, trafficking may end up not being proven, or even charged. But lives will be ruined just the same because nobody; not judges, and certainly not politicians, wants to be seen as being on the "wrong" side of this issue.
Defense attorneys challenge Uncle LEO's hidden camera tactic
Good for these attorneys. This is an abuse of the law and the constitution.
[URL]http://reason.com/blog/2019/03/04/sneak-and-peek-warrant-for-florida-sting[/URL]
Other payment or advertising options?
[QUOTE=TopSpinner;4180009]Wondering if anyone else has heard rumors about BP scamming providers' accounts. I've heard from 2 very reliable providers the same story. They apply $$ to their BP accounts using gift cards, the money never gets credited to the account but balance on the card goes to $0. One provider showed me the 'card history' report and it showed that the money (the entire value of the card, bought in NOVA) was spent in Texas at a retail outlet the same day. She also gave examples of her account dropping significant value on days when she did not post. She tried complaining using BP's online live help line, but that conversation deteriorated into her being called a liar and scammer. If this is a widespread problem, it will further degrade the hobby and the livelihood of the providers, especially since they really have no viable recourse.[/QUOTE]Gift cards are a frequent choice of scammers for good reason because, once they have the card number, they can drain the card with little or no recourse or refund for the sender. It would be pretty stupid for BP to be scamming providers as a regular thing since it would undermine their main line of business.
My initial thought is that some dishonest BP employee is taking the opportunity to skim whenever they see it and gift cards are easy pickings. Whether BP doesn't know or exercises lax (or no) oversight, they should still take responsibility and do the right thing by making the providers whole.
With the demise of the old BP (Backpage) a lot of shifty, fly-by-night websites have popped up. But even established sites, like Eros, have seen an increase in providers complaining they're being taken advantage of. Unfortunately, there's not much incentive to provide good customer service when advertising options are so limited.
Does anyone know of other sites for bodyrub providers that can rival Bedpage? It'd be great if the women could walk their business somewhere else, but I can't think of a decent alternative. And, if they're stuck with BP, then any payment method that avoids gift cards should be preferred.
Unfortunately, it's not (yet) a challenge to the law itself
[QUOTE=TomMcAn;4179291]Good for these attorneys. This is an abuse of the law and the constitution.
[URL]http://reason.com/blog/2019/03/04/sneak-and-peek-warrant-for-florida-sting[/URL][/QUOTE]This article contains the actual legal filing and right now the focus is on preventing the release of any pics or videos, primarily for privacy reasons. The lawyers say they intend to challenge the legality of the videos but that won't happen until they see all the info provided by the prosecution in the discovery process.
[URL]https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/martin-county/law-firm-files-emergency-petitions-to-block-release-of-video-photos-audio-from-prostitution-sting[/URL]
They have an uphill battle, IMHO, because once a law is on the books it's not unusual for it to be applied in ways that weren't the prime consideration at the time it was enacted. So, even though it came into existence as an anti-terrorism law, it's been used for other purposes like drug investigations. The prosecution will most likely argue that battling the scourge of "Trafficking" is therefore also a legitimate use. And, even if they never prove (or even charge) a single count of Trafficking, they'll still argue there was a reasonable suspicion it was happening, and that a judge agreed enough to issue the warrant. I certainly hope the defense lawyers can come up with some good legal arguments but I won't be holding my breath.
Update on Florida AMP bust
Here's an article on how cops were able to get into a Florida AMP to install cameras.
[URL]https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/nation/unsealed-warrants-show-how-cops-got-into-florida-massage-parlor/article_d03e3b71-6b87-54f9-a0ef-4cdfd8960e3a.html[/URL]
Which leads to the question: is Uncle LEO actually concerned with alleged "human trafficking" or is he simply being voyeuristic? Either way, his tactics raise some serious legal and constitutional issues.
