Prostitution and Law Enforcement

Please read the article below. It really shows how hypicritical this is. It also shows why it should not be illegal and how hard it should be to prove. I just don't get it.............

This one really gets under my skin. Here we have a high profile hooker get busted. Lots of LE and other big wigs on her list. They conceal and cover it all up, not releasing the names of her clients.

Now, if this were you or I, we would be plastered all over the 6PM news, have our cars taken and lives detroyed!



Woman Convicted Of Prostitution, Clients Kept Secret
Prostitute Avoids Jail; 4 Clients Convicted, 2 Make Plea

UPDATED: 10:23 a.m. EST November 1, 2002

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- It's called the world's oldest profession, but in Cleveland it has a new twist.



Investigative Report



A mother in a quiet suburb was busted for prostitution. Chief Investigator Duane Pohlman said that some of her clients were wealthy and powerful.


Pohlman said that many people just wanted the case to go away.

Duane Pohlman -- A quiet street in Richmond Heights: an unlikely setting for prostitution.

This woman? An unlikely prostitute.

For months, Toby Goodrick, the daughter of a well-known and wealthy family, provided massages and sex to men at her home.

Goodrick pleaded guilty to prostitution in July. She avoided jail. The details of her prostitution were, for the most part, kept secret.

Marie Fink, neighbor -- "I do love the neighborhood."

Duane Pohlman -- Marie Fink has lived on the street for more than four decades. She had no idea there was prostitution happening here.

Marie Fink -- "I'm very sorry to hear that something like that goes on in our neighborhood. That's really sad."

Duane Pohlman -- If you haven't heard about this case, there's a reason. A lot of people didn't want you to hear about it. From lawyers to clients, and most surprisingly the judicial system itself -- which seemed more bent on destroying records and maintaining secrecy than with its duty to disclose.

Last year, Goodrick set up a massage business at her home, placing an ad in the The Scene, even ordering vanity plates advertising her new profession.

Soon, she began getting clients -- some paying as much as $350 a session.

In January, her then-boyfriend became suspicious and went to the police.

Former Boyfriend -- "It feels like a movie. It's totally crazy."

Duane Pohlman -- That now ex-boyfriend agreed to talk to us as long as we hid his identity.

"Why would she do this?"

Former Boyfriend -- "That's a good question. I don't know the answer to that." Duane Pohlman -- Police were suspicious of the ex-boyfriend. He has a criminal record, convicted of forgery and burglary.

But detectives did begin surveillance. They took pictures as they watched cars and men arriving at Goodrick's home.

Detective Brian Rinas -- "When we surveilled the residence for approximately three months, we noticed quite a bit of activity there."

Duane Pohlman -- The ex-boyfriend's story began to add up.

Richmond Heights -- a normally quiet suburb -- was dealing with a first.

"Can you recall any other prostitution case in Richmond Heights?"

Detective Rinas -- "No. I don't recall ever hearing of one."

Duane Pohlman -- In March, police had enough evidence to charge Goodrick with prostitution. Six of her clients were charged with prostitution, too. Four were found guilty. They are:
Victor Baran, of Seven Hills
Jack Hixenbaugh Jr., of Mentor-on-the-Lake
Alfredo Salvatore, of Richmond Heights
Thomas Norman, of Painesville

But the other two arranged plea agreements. Who are they?

Fred Barck is an auctioneer.

Barck is also an elected trustee in Brownhelm Township. He'd normally be sitting in a chair. But when we showed up, he got in his car and drove away.

Barck is also a retired Vermilion police officer. His badge was found by detectives in Goodrick's home.

Barck got his prostitution charge reduced to disorderly conduct.

"I'm looking into the case of Toby Goodrick."

Fred Barck -- "Oh, yeah..."

Duane Pohlman -- I asked him some tough questions after one of his auctions.


"Were you involved in paying for sex with her?"

Fred Barck -- "No."

Duane Pohlman -- "Why did she have your badge?"

Fred Barck -- "I don't know."

Duane Pohlman -- "You gave her your badge?"

Fred Barck -- "Why don't you guys get lost. OK?"

Duane Pohlman -- Barck later admitted he had sex with Goodrick, but he claims it was an affair, not prostitution.

Jim Rosenberger is the owner of the prestigious Chagrin Valley Athletic Club, where many well-to-do patrons are pampered in a posh setting of swimming pools and tennis courts.

His charge, too, was reduced from prostitution to disorderly conduct.

"Are you going to make any comment to us?"

After I began asking questions, Rosenberger filed a motion asking the judge to set aside his conviction, arguing he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct to avoid negative publicity.

His lawyer wrote to me stating "Mr. Rosenberger has denied the allegation (of prostitution) from its inception (and) continues to do so..."

Goodrick got probation and was allowed to continue her home-based massages.

We sent our photographer undercover to get a massage from Goodrick. During it, she talks about her sentence for being a prostitute.

Toby Goodrick -- "They went real easy on me, only a year's probation."

Duane Pohlman -- And listen to what she says about how many clients she had.

Toby Goodrick -- "I had a Rolodex full of really awesome clients, people that were coming in at least once a week, once every two weeks, once a month."

Duane Pohlman -- The Rolodex was taken by detectives as they searched Goodrick's home.

I asked to see the Rolodex and all the evidence after Goodrick was sentenced, but over and over, I was told, "No."

Why?

As part of a plea agreement, the court ordered the Rolodex and other evidence to be destroyed. Police say they agreed to destroy the records to prevent Goodrick from going to back to her clients, but her ex-boyfriend claims the Rolodex contained the names of some very prominent clients. And that opening it up, would reveal who got away without being charged.

"Do you believe preferential treatment was given here?"

Former Boyfriend -- "Absolutely."

Detective Rinas -- "No, there was none."

Duane Pohlman -- According to police, the Rolodex did not contain real names, but code names, codes that were impossible to crack.

"Our source says there were many, there were many others participating. Is that a fair characterization?"

Detective Rinas -- "Yes, that is correct."

Duane Pohlman -- But we'll never know who else, thanks to that order to destroy the Rolodex.

"All I want to know is why you would turn to prostitution?"

There is another twist to the story.

Goodrick promised me she would talk on camera. At the same time, she was demanding money from one former client for her silence.

Her price? $25,000.

According to the paperwork, Goodrick said, "this money would keep his name out of the Channel5 investigation."

Goodrick was booked. This time, she pleaded guilty to extortion.

"Have we heard the last of this case?"

Detective Rinas -- "I don't think so..."

Duane Pohlman -- Goodrick will be sentenced for extortion in December.

I really don't think there's anyone here who thinks that prostitution should be illegal.

Jz, I do think certain forms of prostitution should be illegal. If I had kids I don't think for example that SW's, their pimps, and their customers should be able to set up shop in my neighborhood. IMHO you don't see a lot of victimless street prostitution. The SW's are there with their pimps, drug dealing is rampant, condoms and needles are carelessly discarded, schoolgirls and women with regular jobs are propositioned on their way to work and school. Vancouver B. C. where its not legal but more tolerated has the highest HIV/Sylphlis rate in N. America. I've seen areas where prostitution was allowed to flourish. Most of us wouldn't spend our hard-earned money and buy a home there.

Now I do feel that escort services, massage parlors, brothels, strip clubs should be allowed to open persuant to zoning laws where they could be semi-regulated, taxed, and health checks performed on the girls. A SW caught working the streets could be cited for working without a valid permit or business license. Most of the industrial countries regardless of how liberal they are frown on street prostitution. If you did legalize some sort of street prostitution it could be regulated to a small part of a city (say the industrial area) where the impact to those not participating could be minimized. But thats never going to happen in the U. S. If anything I see prostitution laws becoming more and more strict and archaic in the coming years. I've never (in the last twenty years or so) seen a community thats cracked down on strip clubs, massage parlors, SW's, etc., decide that they over reacted and now it's time to be more lenient. If anything they crack down even harder.

Phil, I've noticed the same phenomena. Crack cocaine is easier to find in most cities than pussy. It boils down to SW's being easier and safer to bust than drug dealers. Most SW's don't carry firearms. Maybe LE believes that if you crack down on the SW's you will reduce demand and thereby reduce the drug dealing. In any event I can walk through the downtown core of my hometown and not see any SW's but get propositioned by drug dealers who stake out nearly every corner and loudly proclaim "wanna buy some crack"? They are seemingly invisible and are there day after day.

So what you're saying is not that prostitution in and of itself should be illegal, as it basically is in the US now, but that it should have some degree of regulation. Legalization with control is something that's worked in any number of places, and it still is different from saying you believe prostitution itself should be illegal -- as opposed to saying there are certain manifestations of it which are clearly disruptive.

To me, that's the same as saying that drinking alcohol should be legal, but that there are boundaries -- no driving with an alcohol level above a certain limit, no serving in public establishments outside of certain hours, limits on age, etc. Prohibition, with its attendant bootlegging, speakeasies, etc., on the other hand, is essentially the current situation for prostitution.

I have to guess one reason they let drug dealers just do their thing is because to the average citizen they think it's just some guy hanging out but with a woman that same citizen is thinking what in the hell is she doing out at this hour. She must be a hooker!!

JZ, When you're right, you're right. I just think I hear a lot of guys on this board talking like street prostitution should be legal. All the talk about how unfair it is to get busted for a BJ and getting your car seized, etc, etc.

Myself, 99% of my mongering is with SW's whom I pick up in my car. I think street prostitution should be illegal but I just don't think the punishment fits the crime. Some examples:Monger #1 walks up to a sting operation and mistakenly propositions a police decoy: he gets fined $115.00, goes to John school, maybe a day in jail if it's his second offense. Sounds somewhat fair to me, though I think a fine would be more than enough. I do the same crime in my Range Rover and it gets seized. I get the same punishment except my fine is now $40,000. Is my crime really that much worse than the first guy that I should pay an additional forty thousand bucks? Of course not. Both parties should suffer the same monetary penalty.

The penalty for getting caught picking up a hooker in your car is effectively more punitive than getting busted for a lot of felonies. A shoplifter may get a hundred dollar fine while a guy getting laid gets his wifes car conviscated. Its not right, I'm sure its unconstitutional, its just no one has the means to challenge it yet.

Civ2K

Civ2000, I agree wholeheartedly with your views. However I do believe that we are in the minority.

Scary post:

Either someone out there is playing a stupid prank on me, or we may have something legitimate to worry about. Or, perhaps it could be country John seeking revenge?

I just received a PM from a brand new member. This member does not show any prior posts under their name when I did a search. The name might be fake, because the sent this to me at my yahoo email and not through WSG PM system. I left this email address in a few posts months back.

Here is the copy of the PM i received.

Hi,
I am sending you this private message so you can post what has happened to me so others can be warned. Also I am hoping maybe with you in-depth knowledge of the law, you might be able to help me out. I cannot afford an attorney. I have been a regular poster to the Wsg forum for two years now. I post under the sate of California. Pomona, San Diego, and Los Angeles. I was just detained by local police where I reside. I was taken in for questioning solely based on my posting to the forum. This is because police have been investigating several massage parlors and other establishments that I have given detailed reports about. I was told several other members of the Wsg site had also been contacted by police. They, like myself, have been given an opportunity to tell our experiences regarding these establishments. I was given the opportunity to have an attorney present and possible charges might be pined on me, both given my incriminating posts, possible surveillance that matched my posting and statements given to police. They also asked me if I knew who you and four other regular posters are. They asked if I had met any other posters to the forum.

I have never done anything outside of what most other mongers do on this site. I refused to answer any other their questions and told them I needed to retain an attorney regarding this questioning. The police released me and told me I was likely facing numerous charges involving solicitation. They indicated my best chances were to cooperate fully with them and they might forget to charge me with anything. HELP! I have a wife and four children. I would loose my job and everything I own if I even get charged with solicitation. all this from simply posting. How did they get my home address? Does the WSG site turn over IP addresses to police if they ask? I won't post under my old name. I hope others with more resources have been busted too, so they can tell me what to do?
Any advice you can give me is appreciated.

Friend!


This is some scary shit! If any of you out there sent this to me, it had better be a damn joke!!! Come clean and all with be forgiven!

GETTINGTANG~!

PS, where the hell is our friend country John?

GT, I sincerely doubt if the message you received was genuine. More likely, it's probably someone with nothing better to do. If in the 1% chance that it is true, just deny, deny, deny. Also, the cops have to actually catch you in the act. Merely speaking about prostitution does not constitute criminal conduct. You could even say that it was your own stories that, you made up. Regardless mate, don't stress. You've got nothing to worry about. April fools day probably arrived ahead of schedule for you.

I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on wsg, but IMHO, it seems that LE would need someone to corroborate your story before they do anything. Simply saying "I know you've been naughty, so tell me and I'll go easy on you", is an old trick, used by authority figures as well as many parents on naughty children. Without some conclusive evidence that you've done something naughty, the police would be endlessly talking to people who could be confessing to things that they had no part in or never happened.

I would also suggest that LE, if they wanted to speak to you directly, would contact you directly - not through some anonymous manner.

Someone is deliberately yanking your chain, GT -- there are so many holes in this it's not funny. In order to "know" who posters on WSG are they'd have to have email addresses, IP info, etc. What are they going to do to get this -- threaten Jackson in Argentina? With what? Not to mention there's not a snowball's chance that any solicitation charge could stick, let alone that one would be filed.

Civ2000, I certainly don't disagree that having cars seized is way out of scale and ridiculous. To me it's just another example of why some sort of restructuring of the laws is needed so there is some balance in things. Canada, for example, makes SW illegal but prostitution itself is not -- that's a model that works for me.

Hello all. I ran GT's post through my Green Hornet Decoder Ring and Guess what? He wrote both messages! That's right! He didn't receive an email from anyone. He's bullshitting you.

Be Safe and BE NICE
Country John

GT's stories have more holes than Albert Hall. My own opinion is that cops suck and ex-cops suck just about as much. But, that's just my opinion.

I think there a lot of people here that think prostitution should be illegal. I for one don't want it in my nice suburban neighborhood or near schools. I enjoy taking a 15 to 30 drive to the seedy parts of some cities to find pleasure.
In fact because prostitution is illegal I believe it enhances the sexual experiences of some of us. Some of us or maybe its just me get tired of routine of doing the same thing day after day-our job, and seek out thrills during the night. It adds to the excitment knowing you could be busted for making a miscalculation by choosing the wrong girl, she could be a cop, or worst she has two big black boyfriends who wish to do you harm.

I frequent Las Vegas alot, but would never dream of taking that drive to those brothels where prostitution is legal; that to me is just too boring and expensive ($400) or something like that. I also do not want to pay taxes on sex. It could drive up the cost 30%

Is there a real danger? For me there is really no danger, because I have been doing this for years. I can easily spot working girls, thats both SW's and police decoys.

It's like I'm a big game hunter, sure I could get hurt, but I have the rifle.

I agree with Civ2000 that the punishment should fit the crime.

GT, I also believe someone is yanking your chain, more then likely someone who forgot to take their medicine for the multiple personality disorder they have.
But, I also believe you should take the threat seriously. This is the age of big brother. The Bush adminstation is trying to pass the Total information awareness program.( TIA) They are already used the Patriot act in "Operation G String", to go after strippers inflicting serious damage to men's wallets in Las Vegas and San Diego. I believe they could use the "Rico Act" to force Jackson to give up names on this board. In order to invoke the Rico act, there has to be a pattern of criminal activity, going to a MP multiple times, I believe will meet the criteria. They could go after Jackson for obstuction of justice, and threaten his assets in the U.S. if he doesn't comply and give the names up.

Did you know your browser can reveal what software and hardware you have, details of the links you clicked, and possibly even your email address. If you ever have entered your email in various databases and that web site has cookies, they could share your information with other companies, even L.E. It is also very easy to get IP addresses, you get longitude and latititude,city state, and country.

Even if Jackson didn't give up your names, they could still go after your ISP provider using the "Acts" above what I talked about.

In order to use your browser to get to most sites you have to allow cookies. Why do you think when or if you visit porn sites you get whole bunch of e-mail from other porn sites.( that why I don't visit them anymore, well just one.)

For example look at this website, under logging and posting problems: "Your internet browsing security settings are blocking cookies", for a long time I was unable to post because of this websites security setting were to low for me. Fortunately, Jackson fixed this problem and I can get on this site and set my security settings high. I have to do this, because my kids download tons of music, and I have visited those MP's that GT talks about.
My son has assured me he has put in protected firewalls so I won't get sued by the music companies. I also downloaded spyware software for added protection in case anyone is trying to get information about me.