This essay first appeared in Cliterati on June 29th; I have modified it slightly for time references and to fit the format of this blog.
On June 25th, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation seized the venerable San Francisco escort website, MyRedbook, under the usual vague and evidence-free charges the US government always uses when it wants to destroy peaceful businesses who have hurt no one. This time, as you can see above, the pretenses are “money laundering” and “racketeering”, but others cases include “conspiracy”, “mail fraud” and “tax evasion”. You may believe that these are actual crimes, but the truth is they aren’t (except on paper); they’re simply blunt instruments defined so vaguely that any competent prosecutor can jam nearly any business into one or more of them. Here’s how it works: “racketeering” can mean criminals operating a legitimate business, like when a mobster owns a restaurant. So a “racketeering” charge usually means “we think you committed crimes but can’t prove them, so we’re just going to assume you’re a criminal and prosecute you for owning a regular business.” Any money you’ve deposited is then called “money laundering” on the grounds that you deposited “criminal proceeds” from your imaginary crimes into your legitimate account; “tax evasion” is based on the pretense that you have failed to pay taxes on imaginary income they can’t prove you actually made; “conspiracy” means merely talking about committing the imaginary crimes, and so on. And if you believe that the targeted business is protected by the presumption of innocence, think again. The FBI’s excuses are partly visible in this article:
…Eric Omuro, 53, and Annmarie Lanoce, 40, were arrested during a FBI raid…Both are charged with…interstate travel in the aid of a racketeering enterprise, and Omuro is charged with…twenty-four counts of money laundering…prosecutors say the pair used the mail and the Internet to facilitate prostitution…”The website hosted advertisements for prostitutes, complete with explicit photos, lewd physical descriptions, menus of sexual services, hourly and nightly rates, and customer reviews of the prostitutes’ services”…The indictment seeks the forfeiture of more than $5 million in property and assets Omuro allegedly gained by facilitating prostitution…CNN reports that the shutdown was part of a broad FBI crackdown on child prostitution…In 2011, San Mateo County prosecutors used the site to arrest…suspects who were believed to be pimping underage girls…
The lies about “child prostitution” (unproven three-year-old police “beliefs” do not constitute evidence) are designed to throw up a smoke screen in front of the real motive for the prosecution: “…the indictment seeks the forfeiture of more than $5 million…” That profit motive is both direct (through stealing the owner’s assets) and indirect: though the “sex trafficking” hysteria has proven a bonanza for cops (via government “sex trafficking” grants) and “rescue industry” organizations (via gullible donors), the “authorities” need to manufacture at least a few “victims” and “pimps” to justify the tremendous amount of bread being flushed down the “trafficking” toilet. Every year the FBI conducts a massive series of “sting” operations designed to deceive and entrap sex workers so they can be arrested by local police; their children are abducted and labeled “child sex trafficking victims”, and their spouses or drivers (and male sex workers) are arrested and labeled “pimps”. After the first few operations the FBI announced how many adult sex workers had been arrested, but for the last two years it has hidden that data because a few in the media were beginning to question the morality of spending millions and brutalizing more than 10 women for every teen “recovered”…especially since their “pimp” conviction rate is a mere 4.06%. Given that the label “pimp” is applied willy-nilly that low rate isn’t surprising, but actual convictions aren’t necessary to maintain the appearance of “doing something” against the phantasmal bogeymen the government has conjured to distract the populace from the real economic and social problems it can do nothing about.
Of course, somebody has to pay for this monumental show; as mentioned above, some of the cost is recouped by stealing the victims’ possessions, and the taxpayers (or rather, their children and grandchildren) are stuck with the rest. But there is another cost, a human one, which is mostly borne by sex workers. I estimate more than 2000 sex workers’ lives were destroyed in the latest “Operation Cross-Country”, and the attack on MyRedbook (which was timed to coincide with the “anti-trafficking” games to as to make them seem related when they actually weren’t) will have enormous repercussions for California sex workers:
…My Redbook not only served as a transparent marketplace…for…adult services — it also provided free advertising for sex workers, community for an isolated and marginalized population, and a tool for avoiding dangerous clients. My Redbook served as a stable and thriving online business district for thousands of…workers and a centralized location for welfare, anti-trafficking, and HIV-Prevention services to reach geographically dispersed and hidden target populations. The…action against My Redbook resulted in the sudden loss of a resource thousands of west coast sex workers use to help build community, screen clients, stay safe, and attain economic stability and well-being…The arrest of My Redbook’s owners and the site’s sudden closure epitomize the disruptive, destabilizing and harmful impact of criminalization on the lives of individuals involved in the sex trade. So long as this industry is criminalized, any marketplaces, networks, and community spaces its’ members work to create are subject to criminal proceedings and can easily disappear overnight…
This prosecution also sets a very dangerous precedent; if it succeeds, other advertising and review sites may be next, cutting US sex workers off from the safest, most effective way to work until companies based outside the US appear to fill the gap. One might question the wisdom of attacking an entire industry in such a way as to ensure that money which previously circulated within US borders will now flow overseas, but only if one misunderstands the purpose behind the attacks. The “sex trafficking” hysteria in general, and gigantic police actions in particular, are Roman circuses; they are intended to pander to the bloodlust of the masses rather than to actually accomplish anything concrete, and judged by that standard these tremendous anti-whore pogroms are a howling success.
Fixed it for you.
This is how elections are won. This is an election year so sex workers and those associated accross the USA need to be especially careful because these and other simular operations will increase because they equal sheeple votes and require almost no effort. Likewise expect an noticeable increase in john and escort stings from your local police and county sheriff departments for the same reason. This was pointed out to me year ago by a savvy lady on Dangerzone411.
Please ACLU, we need you.
If you’re in trouble … the ACLU will not save you. 🙁
They really aren’t the “American Civil Liberties Union” … more like “Selective Civil Liberties Racket”.
By coincidence, the New Statesman this week has an article about Pete Larson. I’d never heard of him, but he was arrested some years ago by the FBI, charged with trafficking “Sue”, who they “rescued”; and for what sounds like money laundering. He was threatened with 353 years in prison. “Sue” is a fossil, a Tyrannosaurus Rex; the crime was buying her after she had been found on public land. He was imprisoned for two years.
Meanwhile, in the UK, there have been problems with prosecutions for murder that involve two (or more) people. The prosecution often couldn’t convince a jury who was the actual murderer and who was the accomplice. Nowadays, the work-around is to charge both with “conspiracy to murder”.
Korhomme, you got a link to that story? I googled and couldn’t find it.
What I know of Larson is … he was busted back in the ’90’s with “trafficking in fossils” and illegally removing them from federal lands. However, I believe that “Sue” was actually removed from the land of an Indian (or maybe the Indian just thought he owned the land – I dunno, maybe it was on a reservation – which I don’t think is really “federally owned” land … but, in any case – I don’t know the details here). I do know he paid the guy $5,000 to excavate. Not only that, if I recall correctly – the court found that the skeleton actually belonged to the Indian (who gave Larson permission to excavate). And the Indian can dispose of it any way he sees fit. Soooo … goddam mess here – if it belongs to the Indian, how in Sam Hill could the government charge Larson with removing it from “federally owned land”.
It’s a fuckin’ goat-rope of a tale, that’s for sure!
It’s been several years since I read any detailed articles about the case, but if I remember correctly, the land was owned by a White farmer but on a reservation. And this is complicated by the fact that most tribal land is under the ‘management’ of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is notoriously corrupt and tends to violate its own laws and guidelines on a regular basis.
The articles in the print version of the New Statesman appear a week or so before they are on-line. It’s a very peculiar story; apparently Larson sold “Sue” to a museum in Chicago over for $8m.
I’ve heard of MyRedBook – but I’m not familiar with it. I read a news story on this and it seems to be exactly like ECCIE – so could ECCIE be next?
What about P411?
Apparently BigDoggie was busted too, some time ago – but they won their case.
What happens to this money? Does the FBI get to keep it? I’m wondering if their bank accounts have been frozen and if the FBI has already confiscated the contents.
This is apparently different from other busts in that the FBI somehow monitored the transfer of money? What I’m wondering is … how did they obtain warrants to monitor that? Where was the “probable cause”?
And … this whole thing with “underaged” hookers. To anyone not familiar with these websites – it sounds like they are advertising children (which they don’t). The minimum age I’ve seen on ECCIE is 18. However, I guess it’s like with me and being a bar bouncer – if a girl comes in with an ID saying that she’s 21 … but she’s younger than that and I let her in – I still get fined if she’s caught … or if the police are the ones that sent her in to “trick” me.
The bail in this case … in excess of $200,000 for someone who isn’t even accused of a violent crime … is just plain goofy.
In the book I am writing, this Blog post actually help confirm a little bit closer to my conclusions about “Prostitution”.
That it isn’t about Saving Victims.. this is just smoke and mirrors… This is about money.. This is why for every 1 john that is busted 10 girls are harassed, arrested,, jailed, or fined… All for being “victims”
It is because most people in the USA feel that sex should be free, they want to punish those that can earn a living doing it so they present arguments that hold no actual water as “smoke and mirrors” to the actual evidence to why these busts are occurring..
And this Blog hits pretty close to dead on.
Tiffany. Sex workers are very affected by the below news in California right now. HOpe you can put something about this travesty in your story. I’m in Boulder Creek, CA for the coming week. I connect you by email with Maggie and San Francisco sex worker icon who knows all, Carol LEigh, aka Scarlot Harlot. If you want me to post your note on a sex worker mailing emailm list thingy i can. Sex worker outreach project of San Fran. Annie Hope you didn’t mind me forwarding this note to Carol Leigh and Maggie. But i know time is of the essence.
Hello Annie, We’re working on a story about sex workers in San Francisco and Silicon Valley today. In USA Today, there was an article that because of the tech boom, sex work is on the rise. We’d like to do a follow up to this article. Are you available for an on-camera interview? You can reach me at 415 730 7196 or via email, tiffany.wilson@abc.com We could meet you wherever is convenient and it would take about 10 minutes of your time. Thank you, Tiffany Wilson Reporter ABC 7 News
Hello ladies,
Thank you for your help. I have an interview set up at 2:00 p.m. today, but if either of you are available before then, I would sincerely appreciate a few minutes of your time. I’ve chatted with Maxine Doogan on the phone and she also focused on the impact of MyRedBook’s dissolution. Carol Leigh or Maggie, would either of you be able to speak about this on-camera today?
You can reach me at 415-730-7196 or email.
All the best,
Tiffany Wilson Reporter ABC 7 News
From: annie sprinkle [mailto:anniesprinkle@me.com] Sent: Friday, July 11, 2014 11:46 AM To: The Honest Courtesan Subject: Tiffany, read this important blog for your news story. From The Honest Cortesean.
Tiffany. Sex workers are very affected by the below news in California right now. HOpe you can put something about this travesty in your story. I’m in Boulder Creek, CA for the coming week. I connect you by email with Maggie and San Francisco sex worker icon who knows all, Carol LEigh, aka Scarlot Harlot. If you want me to post your note on a sex worker mailing emailm list thingy i can. Sex worker outreach project of San Fran. Annie Hope you didn’t mind me forwarding this note to Carol Leigh and Maggie. But i know time is of the essence.
Hello Annie,
We’re working on a story about sex workers in San Francisco and Silicon Valley today. In USA Today, there was an article that because of the tech boom, sex work is on the rise. We’d like to do a follow up to this article. Are you available for an on-camera interview? You can reach me at 415 730 7196 or via email, tiffany.wilson@abc.com
We could meet you wherever is convenient and it would take about 10 minutes of your time.
Thank you,
Tiffany Wilson Reporter ABC 7 News
The morality police are on the march.
They’re on something anyway. And it is definitely a “bad trip” for the rest of us.
People will not realize that you have to fight for everyone’s rights, if any of us are to have any rights.
Maggie, OpEdNews published an article of mine about your presentation at Choppers. This may annoy, you but thinking about it on the hour ride home on the bus, I was really underwhelmed by the audience’s response. They were much more enthused about the guy they had coming in July to talk about Milton Friedman.
Liberty and so-called free market economics are not co-equal things. Wealth is a privilege, not a right.
The article is here:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Fortitude-versus-Greed-by-Richard-Girard-Capitalism_Courage_Greed_Health-140709-419.html
Melissa Gira Grant gave an entertaining and informative talk at the Berkman Center this week that touched on this topic, which is well worth a look if you have an hour to kill:
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/07/grant
This is all great information. And believe most of it, but is there a bibliography on the data (hard numbers) pulled for your article? I really want to use those numbers in a book i am writing and though your blog is great for an opinion source, I cannot use it as “fact” (as much as I would like to)..
If I don’t hear from you, that is cool, Just hoping to get some more raw data for my book 🙂
What data are you talking about besides the figures with embedded links?
The hard numbers data posted when you said about 4% of pimps aren’t actually pimps but just labeled that “willy nilly”.. I want that to be true as that will help my arguments.. But the link only goes to another link within your blog which is technically opinion based..
Believe me. I love your blog and agree with it almost 100% as I am a Well Known hobbyist in my area so I know the business quite well. But my opinion only takes me so far until I have to provide hard data..
For example, I was able to crush the argument that Rape goes up when the legalization of prostitution is condoned and used Sweden, the USA, New Zealand, and Canada as evidence that that is false, and had strong statistics to back up that claim providing rape statistics from each country, etc…
So similarly (I’m sorry if I”m rambling).. If you had a site or book that you got your info from in order to draw that conclusion of “most pimps are just labeled pimps” that would be helpful…
BUT, I will be drawing on you blog for many opinion based comments and that is most helpful.. so thanks for doing this.. I want to be has honest and true as possible. 🙂
I think you misunderstood that stat; it refers to the conviction rate from “Operation Cross-Country” from the beginning to 2010. They arrested a total of 15,391 people, but scored 625 convictions, or 4.06%. That’s from the article discussed in the post linked at that figure.
Ah OK.. thank you very much, for clarifying. Again, thanks for all you do in these blogs… It truly does shed a light on a subject that most people truly don’t understand and will just accept any negative press associated with the business but seem to always be suspect when something truthful or positive is said about it.
But yeah.. those numbers mean they are just arresting for arresting sake.
Basically this is an arrest number vs actual convictions. 🙂
Thanks again. Still helpful and those were the raw numbers I was looking for.
The word pimp, same as the word whore, is a derogatory title hat is used to invoke negative imagery in the minds of the public of a person, most often a man, who is both a leach who is equivalent to a slave owner living of of the profits of the women whom he has psychological and physical control over.
I am sure such people do exist here in America but I have not met any. I began working at two agencies in the Atlanta area. One was managed by a white woman and the other by a black man. The provided all the advertising, phone screening, safe call, and other protective services. I also learned how to to these things from those two companies and how to promote myself. In return, I split the income from my dates with them.
When I decided to strike out on my own I left on good terms. I was always treated respectfully by those two employer’s. It really infureates me to hear every manager in the escort business being described in such derogitory terms and us women being thought of having so little backbone or brains to be so easily enslaved / controlled.
Excellent and well worded blog post (as usual)! Just want to let our lost MRB family members know that we’re reconnecting on the site ProvidingSupport.com
There’s no ads or reviews on this site, it’s just a place for all of us to reconnect with each other, at least until a site like MRB comes back.
I doubt MRB will come back. I am in the process of writing a Book / Report / Investigation / Blog (don’t know what to call it yet) based on why I think that.
But yeah, The sites I usually go to are Hobbyist Forum style sites. the main problem MRB had (and I don’t agree with what the FBI did) was MRB dealt with actual money outside of donations (I believe).
My site I go to is free for everyone even providers posting ads can do it free of charge… There are options to donate to the site to keep it up and running . but it’s completely voluntary. no restrictions if you choose not to donate.
Reblogged this on Borderlands of Health and Wellness and commented:
Yes, education, healthcare and the conspiracy of religion that never was….