Agency Discussion

[Sounds]

I'm not a lawyer so don't expect proper terminology. I watched the longest video I could find on the hearings on if there is enough evidence to go to trial. Every case shown was ruled as yes. Hearing the evidence presented, the gist of the evidence is: the men contacted the agency with a traceable phone number, provided their I. D. , agreed to a GFE meeting for a price, and were then identified at the apartments. I didn't hear anything about them requesting particular sex services for the agreed upon money. If this was a jury I was in, I wouldn't find them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of paying for sex on this alone. Though I may be a bit biased.

If they actually texted using the term of GFE meeting, that would probably be enough to go to trial. LEO is familiar with code words. If they were more vague or just stuck with what was advertised as "photography session" (nudge nudge, give me a wink) probably would not have anything on them.

I expect any of these guys that might be lucky enough to have a member of this community on the jury, would not get convicted. But it is still a crap shoot for them otherwise. Wish them luck and I hope they all are found not guilty.

[The Unseen1]

I'm not a lawyer so don't expect proper terminology. I watched the longest video I could find on the hearings on if there is enough evidence to go to trial. Every case shown was ruled as yes. Hearing the evidence presented, the gist of the evidence is: the men contacted the agency with a traceable phone number, provided their I. D. , agreed to a GFE meeting for a price, and were then identified at the apartments. I didn't hear anything about them requesting particular sex services for the agreed upon money. If this was a jury I was in, I wouldn't find them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of paying for sex on this alone. Though I may be a bit biased.

https://www.wcvb.com/article/high-en...ch-21/64245835

[HunneMan]

https://www.wcvb.com/article/high-en...ch-21/64245835

First of all BTT was locally run by Hanna who used to work for BTT as a provider. I think she got caught up in the bust.

Second, where else Korean agencies got busted lately besides BTT and its sister agency in Virginia? I think I read on the other site that there was something in Koreatown, LA but I think it was just couple of k-girls that decided to bring few clients home while they were taking a break from touring which annoyed neighbors so they called the LA finest.

I haven't heard of any busts outside of this. What did I miss? Was there Korean agencies busts in NYC or something?

[KOF96]

First of all BTT was locally run by Hanna who used to work for BTT as a provider. I think she got caught up in the bust.

Second, where else Korean agencies got busted lately besides BTT and its sister agency in Virginia? I think I read on the other site that there was something in Koreatown, LA but I think it was just couple of k-girls that decided to bring few clients home while they were taking a break from touring which annoyed neighbors so they called the LA finest.

I haven't heard of any busts outside of this. What did I miss? Was there Korean agencies busts in NYC or something?

That's the thing, there haven't been any. The Preet Bharara busts in NY were from years back. Geisha Styles was foolish enough to advertise a CT affiliate when they first popped up, but scrubbed it later.

[KOF96]

Feds work with locals, that's standard practice, but they bring the heavier guns to the operation. Feds can do more with digital forensics, intrastate and transnational financing which is all key to the Korean networks.

The busts happen everywhere. SoCal is the real epicenter of the Korean mob's US operations and the prostitution operations there are frequent targets. This bust (below) was just a couple of months ago. Unlike what we're seeing with BTT the LAPD are not billing it in the press as a big deal -- because it isn't, these operations are a dime a dozen in their area.

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/wom...at-socal-home/

As for the question of trafficking, as I said I think it's overblown -- the women are not kidnapped and beaten like some would have you believe, but they are coerced in many cases. As I said I used frequent BAD and got to know some of the providers well enough to hear their stories. They or their families were caught in debt traps which required them to go into sex work. It's a story as old as the hills. The ones who chose to come to the US often did so because they were worried about the scandal of being exposed as prostitutes in S. Korea if they worked locally. Some use the vehicle of sex work to come to the US in pursuit of immigration status (sometimes with student visas through sham colleges / academies). All of it costs money which has to be paid off with their work.

Of course the Koreans are not alone in all of this. The Chinese operators are even more established and probably even more exploitative. But they focus on storefront massage spas so are less likely to be concerned with verification and asking for IDs -- which was the starting point of this discussion.

While this is old news, it still gives a window into how the operation is set up:

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/hs...g-prostitution

The funny thing is, the site Nagayoworld referenced in that link appears to be alive and well. With that said, I'm not convinced there's any urgent agenda on a federal level to bust these orgs. To do so, they'd have to play up the shadowy underworld links in the press (like the deported Venezuelans in the news lately).

[KashkaiBoy]

Some assumptions and misinformation in this post (for example, the car was far from a Lambo but something like a used Corvette instead). Though the Feds got involved due to the multi-state nature of their operation, much of the legwork appears to have been done with the cooperation of local LE likely eager to share in the seized plunder.

Despite the trumped-up trafficking angle (with its federal cross-border implications), places like NY and Seattle / Bellevue eventually bounced back to business as usual. And while Mayor Eric Adams has been going after the low-hanging fruit in Queens / Brooklyn to distract from his own woes, no US attorney seems to be involved like the last time there was a major bust. Boston itself has a track record of busting Asian agencies, which I'd chalk up to its nanny state tendencies rather than some federal agenda. If anything, agencies have become more reckless indicating ties across various cities.

Feds work with locals, that's standard practice, but they bring the heavier guns to the operation. Feds can do more with digital forensics, intrastate and transnational financing which is all key to the Korean networks.

The busts happen everywhere. SoCal is the real epicenter of the Korean mob's US operations and the prostitution operations there are frequent targets. This bust (below) was just a couple of months ago. Unlike what we're seeing with BTT the LAPD are not billing it in the press as a big deal -- because it isn't, these operations are a dime a dozen in their area.

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/wom...at-socal-home/

As for the question of trafficking, as I said I think it's overblown -- the women are not kidnapped and beaten like some would have you believe, but they are coerced in many cases. As I said I used frequent BAD and got to know some of the providers well enough to hear their stories. They or their families were caught in debt traps which required them to go into sex work. It's a story as old as the hills. The ones who chose to come to the US often did so because they were worried about the scandal of being exposed as prostitutes in S. Korea if they worked locally. Some use the vehicle of sex work to come to the US in pursuit of immigration status (sometimes with student visas through sham colleges / academies). All of it costs money which has to be paid off with their work.

Of course the Koreans are not alone in all of this. The Chinese operators are even more established and probably even more exploitative. But they focus on storefront massage spas so are less likely to be concerned with verification and asking for IDs -- which was the starting point of this discussion.

While this is old news, it still gives a window into how the operation is set up:

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/hs...g-prostitution

[HappyDave]

Anyone heard about this happening for new clients? Heard they aren't taking verify info but want a first time deposit to stop no shoes / time wasters. Might be better than giving out your info since they don't take P411.

But how do you make the deposit in an untraceable way?

[ItsJustJayHmu]

Anyone heard about this happening for new clients? Heard they aren't taking verify info but want a first time deposit to stop no shoes / time wasters. Might be better than giving out your info since they don't take P411.

[Nrlmus]

It's specifically a risk when dealing with K-mob outfits like BTT and BAD (and Boston Temptation seems to be their new storefront).

First reason: the Feds are clearly focused on takedowns of Korean-mob run prostitution. Look around the country, or just look at Boston, they're spending time and resources to go after them.

The next reason is that it seems clear that for their overlords (the heads of the Korean mob) the business model is just to have a brothel run for a few months, maybe a couple of years, making big profits for a time while knowing that it will eventually be raided and closed. After that they just wait a few weeks and set up a new outfit. They mob bosses aren't really interested in longevity and so they don't care about those caught up in the actual arrests, since they themselves are protected by layers of distance (and are probably based in Korea anyway). They recruit some down-on-their-luck local Koreans to run the operation, and sacrifice them as soon as the LE show up. BAD was set up by a Korean guy who had studied at Berklee School of Music who bought a Lamborgini with his pay. BTT and the VA shop were run remotely by some other lowly Korean fellow. Both are in prison now for long terms. They're expendable, and the bosses just move on to find / coerce another new recruit to set up a new shop for them.

First of all BTT was locally run by Hanna who used to work for BTT as a provider. I think she got caught up in the bust.

Second, where else Korean agencies got busted lately besides BTT and its sister agency in Virginia? I think I read on the other site that there was something in Koreatown, LA but I think it was just couple of k-girls that decided to bring few clients home while they were taking a break from touring which annoyed neighbors so they called the LA finest.

I haven't heard of any busts outside of this. What did I miss? Was there Korean agencies busts in NYC or something?

[Hobbyist420]

Boston itself has a track record of busting Asian agencies, which I'd chalk up to its nanny state tendencies rather than some federal agenda. If anything, agencies have become more reckless indicating ties across various cities.

I also think the Asian agencies get more scrutiny here because they either more open, or push the envelope more, where they do their business. It which blows up their spot to neighbors / community who complain and ask LE to do something about it.

There's also this thing where agencies in US want verification from clients, creating this paper trail for LE. In Montreal, the agencies don't ask for shit.

[KOF96]

It's specifically a risk when dealing with K-mob outfits like BTT and BAD (and Boston Temptation seems to be their new storefront).

First reason: the Feds are clearly focused on takedowns of Korean-mob run prostitution. Look around the country, or just look at Boston, they're spending time and resources to go after them.

The next reason is that it seems clear that for their overlords (the heads of the Korean mob) the business model is just to have a brothel run for a few months, maybe a couple of years, making big profits for a time while knowing that it will eventually be raided and closed. After that they just wait a few weeks and set up a new outfit. They mob bosses aren't really interested in longevity and so they don't care about those caught up in the actual arrests, since they themselves are protected by layers of distance (and are probably based in Korea anyway). They recruit some down-on-their-luck local Koreans to run the operation, and sacrifice them as soon as the LE show up. BAD was set up by a Korean guy who had studied at Berklee School of Music who bought a Lamborgini with his pay. BTT and the VA shop were run remotely by some other lowly Korean fellow. Both are in prison now for long terms. They're expendable, and the bosses just move on to find / coerce another new recruit to set up a new shop for them.

As for the clients, they could give a shit about them. The record keeping is not secure, the phones are not secure, they put no effort or expense into protecting the clients. With both BTT and BAD, LE was able to recover PAPER RECORDS with personal information about clients that were being held by the brothel managers!

And let's not forget about the providers who have to work 7 days a week, long hours in an apartment with the shades closed. They don't seem to be "trafficked" in my estimation, but if we are being honest they aren't exactly their voluntarily either. There are long and deep life reasons for why these women are working for these K-mob networks -- usually debt, sometimes family obligations to mobsters back home, mixed with the financial benefits that they do eventually gain, but at a really high price.

All to say, I have used these services in the past but learned my lesson. I'd never trust my personal details to a K-girl joint. If you can get cleared otherwise, it's up to you to bear the other riskswhen LE set up shop they surveil and can access phone numbers etc without much trouble. The BTT charges are the first time clients have been charged in a situation like this and I think they are setting up a framework for doing this more expansively in the future, with public perp walks, etc. I can tell you that when the operation is inevitably shut down and raided there will be lots of former clients who have sleepless nights and ulcers for weeks while wondering if they'll be charged.

You can roll the dice and still do business with them, but you should do so with your eyes open.

Some assumptions and misinformation in this post (for example, the car was far from a Lambo but something like a used Corvette instead). Though the Feds got involved due to the multi-state nature of their operation, much of the legwork appears to have been done with the cooperation of local LE likely eager to share in the seized plunder.

Despite the trumped-up trafficking angle (with its federal cross-border implications), places like NY and Seattle / Bellevue eventually bounced back to business as usual. And while Mayor Eric Adams has been going after the low-hanging fruit in Queens / Brooklyn to distract from his own woes, no US attorney seems to be involved like the last time there was a major bust. Boston itself has a track record of busting Asian agencies, which I'd chalk up to its nanny state tendencies rather than some federal agenda. If anything, agencies have become more reckless indicating ties across various cities.

[KashkaiBoy]

It is never safe to do this, regardless of the agency there is always a bit of a risk.

It's specifically a risk when dealing with K-mob outfits like BTT and BAD (and Boston Temptation seems to be their new storefront).

First reason: the Feds are clearly focused on takedowns of Korean-mob run prostitution. Look around the country, or just look at Boston, they're spending time and resources to go after them.

The next reason is that it seems clear that for their overlords (the heads of the Korean mob) the business model is just to have a brothel run for a few months, maybe a couple of years, making big profits for a time while knowing that it will eventually be raided and closed. After that they just wait a few weeks and set up a new outfit. They mob bosses aren't really interested in longevity and so they don't care about those caught up in the actual arrests, since they themselves are protected by layers of distance (and are probably based in Korea anyway). They recruit some down-on-their-luck local Koreans to run the operation, and sacrifice them as soon as the LE show up. BAD was set up by a Korean guy who had studied at Berklee School of Music who bought a Lamborgini with his pay. BTT and the VA shop were run remotely by some other lowly Korean fellow. Both are in prison now for long terms. They're expendable, and the bosses just move on to find / coerce another new recruit to set up a new shop for them.

As for the clients, they could give a shit about them. The record keeping is not secure, the phones are not secure, they put no effort or expense into protecting the clients. With both BTT and BAD, LE was able to recover PAPER RECORDS with personal information about clients that were being held by the brothel managers!

And let's not forget about the providers who have to work 7 days a week, long hours in an apartment with the shades closed. They don't seem to be "trafficked" in my estimation, but if we are being honest they aren't exactly their voluntarily either. There are long and deep life reasons for why these women are working for these K-mob networks -- usually debt, sometimes family obligations to mobsters back home, mixed with the financial benefits that they do eventually gain, but at a really high price.

All to say, I have used these services in the past but learned my lesson. I'd never trust my personal details to a K-girl joint. If you can get cleared otherwise, it's up to you to bear the other riskswhen LE set up shop they surveil and can access phone numbers etc without much trouble. The BTT charges are the first time clients have been charged in a situation like this and I think they are setting up a framework for doing this more expansively in the future, with public perp walks, etc. I can tell you that when the operation is inevitably shut down and raided there will be lots of former clients who have sleepless nights and ulcers for weeks while wondering if they'll be charged.

You can roll the dice and still do business with them, but you should do so with your eyes open.

[MaybeSometime]

It is never safe to do this, regardless of the agency there is always a bit of a risk.

You can often use one agency to verify yourself with another without having to give them anything. I have done this a few times.

[RomeoDunn]

Is it safe to give name age ethnicity occupation and selfie to Boston Temptations?

It is never safe to do this, regardless of the agency there is always a bit of a risk.

[WolfgangPet13]

Is it safe to give name age ethnicity occupation and selfie to Boston Temptations?