Did you mean this article?
[QUOTE=BlackCoffee;4170045]Sorry, I'm not smart enough to post a link but there's a good article on the recent Florida events on their website.[/QUOTE][URL]http://reason.com/blog/2019/02/25/florida-massage-parlor-sex-stings[/URL]
Indeed it's a good article. Thanks for the heads-up.
Interesting. Meanwhile in Williamsburg VA
[QUOTE=Pbarber307;4171078]You can listen to the podcast from this morning's show:
[URL]https://the1a.org/shows/2019-02-26/sex-work-and-sting-operations[/URL][/QUOTE][URL]https://wtkr.com/2019/02/26/williamsburg-police-make-prostitution-arrest-at-day-spa/[/URL]
This could be interesting
A certain famous sports team owner might be able to successfully fight the charges against him, according to this article.
[URL]https://nypost.com/2019/02/28/how-patriots-owner-robert-kraft-could-get-off-in-prostitution-case/[/URL]
Almost undeniably sure he gets the charges dropped
[QUOTE=TomMcAn;4174013]A certain famous sports team owner might be able to successfully fight the charges against him, according to this article.
[URL]https://nypost.com/2019/02/28/how-patriots-owner-robert-kraft-could-get-off-in-prostitution-case/[/URL][/QUOTE]The lawyers have so much tools at their disposal to pick apart all of the legally shady things the police used in obtaining the evidence that will almost certainly be admissable in court. From illegally pulling over Kraft in the first place for non-existent traffic violations to taking the video and trying to prove it wasn't a non-consensual activity, it's going to be an extremely hard case for the police dept. To fight especially considering their biggest ploy tactic seems to be wanting to prevent sex trafficking, an argument lawyers are sure to drill holes into considering the police made no attempt to actually rescue the claimed "victims" and rather did the opposite by arresting them. This is why these raids often end up being nothing but a waste of time and tax dollars because it really is an uphill battle once you go to trial.
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.
I doubt that will last long
[QUOTE=Madness322;4190089]Now that everybody is exhibiting righteous indignation over folks paying bribes to get their kids into college, we should be happy that it has eclipsed news about mongers getting happy endings.[/QUOTE]Any respite is likely to be temporary. As a fellow monger reported a few posts ago, there was a major bust in Seattle recently. There were also busts in Maryland and Oregon prior to the one in Florida. Like it or not, Uncle LEO and the anti-trafficking do-gooders are on a roll. They're being aided and abetted by the majority of the media which have, for the most part, bought the anti-trafficking propaganda hook, line and sinker. While there are a few brave souls out there raising questions, most modern "journalists" appear unwilling to engage in actual professional journalism these days.
Yes, the college bribery scandal is a welcome temporary diversion for us mongers. While the respective acting careers of Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin might be adversely affected, however, I seriously doubt either of them will spend 20 years in federal prison. On the other hand, Uncle LEO would love nothing more than to pile on when it comes to mongering. He might even want to try and catch us off-guard, so we need to remain ever-vigilant.
And the case that proves the point is:
[QUOTE=JmSuttr;4190297]Are what drive the pseudo anti-trafficking efforts. Before the "T" word became popularized you could always expect prostitution stings in the run-up to elections, especially close ones, for Sheriff, Mayor, District Atty, etc.
The newer variable in the mix is the availability of significant grant money for "anti-trafficking" and also money gained from asset forfeiture. By labeling pretty much every garden-variety prostitution activity as "trafficking," it's like shooting fish in a barrel and I don't see anything out there with the potential to stop it.
A few media articles that are sympathetic to women who work voluntarily won't move the needle. And the clients? Fuhgeddaboudit. The only thing that could put a dent in things are court rulings that might slap down some of the most egregious excesses by LE. It's possible some of the issues re camera use in the Florida case could result in such rulings. Hard to say because we haven't yet seen the details of the challenges.[/QUOTE][URL]https://wjla.com/news/local/human-trafficking-operation-arlington-10-misdemeanor-felony-charges[/URL]
Not sure who in here was underage or being trafficked, but there you go. Looks like a simple bait operation by LEO. I prefer the ladies who screen -- I can't imagine they usually get rounded up in these sweeps. Stay safe.
Arlington Bust. Be Careful out there
Figure I would post this as it ran across my feed this afternoon. Getting a little too close for comfort if you ask me. Think individual providers should be fine, but what about agencies / K-agencies? Thoughts?
[URL]https://www.arlnow.com/2019/03/27/arlington-police-fbi-arrest-9-after-prostitution-bust/?fbclid=IwAR2xEbzQ6tOataDRD_tDrpDaYaQAfFeUL0jYGdc8mPHyCa5DAg_jjRNV_xU[/URL]
Felony use of a vehicle to promote prostitution
[QUOTE=TomMcAn;4209965]Agencies can and have been busted, not just individual providers. If anything, targeting agencies would allow Uncle LEO to cast a wider net and grab more mongers as well as providers.
Speaking of agencies, I'm wondering if the Asian woman charged in this particular bust was associated with the Asian crapshoot. Another monger recently noted they had a location at a budget motel just over the Arlington / Falls Church line.[/QUOTE]Was the guy a John or was he just the driver? Felony for him?
It's all trafficking now. No disguise required.
[QUOTE=TomMcAn;4209853]This appears to be nothing more than a prostitution bust disguised as an anti-trafficking operation. Perhaps it's an excuse for Uncle LEO to apply for more grants from anti-trafficking do-gooders. After all, it's budget time for local governments.
As far as screening, it depends on the information involved. Requesting sensitive personal information, such as your name and your employer's name, is completely unnecessary. It risks the possibility of Uncle LEO getting your personal information and including your mugshot in one of these news briefs should a provider who screens ever get busted.[/QUOTE]There's simply no way to escape the fact that LE and the media have successfully redefined pretty much every prostitution-related activity as trafficking. Reality, logic, and truth have become irrelevant. By repeating the lie long enough and loudly enough, without any real challenge, they've made it stick.
And what that means is that LE pretty much has a blank check to go after anything or anyone in the hobby under the pretext that they're battling against trafficking. And the new wrinkle is starting investigations with a claim that they suspect "child trafficking" is going on. It doesn't matter if they don't find anything even remotely close to trafficking. They just throw the net out there and arrest anyone who gets caught up in it.
IMHO, the only hobby activity that's able to escape the redefinition is for a single client to visit a single provider who has absolutely nobody (no driver, no scheduler, no shared rooms or expenses, nothing) helping her. The minute any other person is involved that gives LE the hook they need to at least allege the possibility of trafficking. Only a true independent has a chance of escaping that net. Of course, all the garden-variety prostitution charges would still apply. But I doubt that would interest LE when there are so many pseudo-trafficking fish waiting to be caught.
[blue]I think the Kraft case is going to change all of that. I think that the city of Jupiter is going to have to admit that they lied and that they lied in order to get more federal funds.
A2[/blue]
Legal battle begins in Kraft / Jupiter AMP saga
Read the article and scroll to the bottom for details on the opening salvo from Kraft's attorneys. Should be interesting.
[URL]https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/west-palm-beach/robert-kraft-solicitation-case-sneak-and-peek-search-warrant-made-public-by-legal-dream-team[/URL]