6/4/09 Update: DAVID ELMS ARRESTED COMING BACK TO U.S.

David Elms of TER was dumb enough to try and enter the in U.S via So California from Mexico and reports are he came to Mexico from Dubai.

He was arrested by border immigration. Not confirmed but indication bail set at $1 million in AZ but CA also has arrest warrant.

In February, Phoenix police booked Elms on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, conspiracy to possess narcotic drugs for sale, conspiracy to commit misconduct involving weapons and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was also indicted in wave 2 of the Desert Diva bust

He is also in violation of probation in California on drugs and weapons charges where he was caught trying to rape a women at gunpoint.

Initial Report on KPHO at
http://www.kpho.com/news/19660828/detail.html
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More info from Phoenix New Times 6/4/09
Elms was arrested today south of San Diego while trying to cross the border from Mexico into the United States. It is believed Elms fled the United States and possibly went to Dubai, then tried to return to the United States through Mexico today when the Border Patrol arrested him. I am told he is currently in custody and en route to Torrance, California.

Vincent Bond of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency says Elms tried to walk through the Otay Mesa port of entry at about 2:20 p.m. on Monday. He presented a U.S. passport (June 1 happened to be the first day passports are technically required for re-entry to the States) and customs agents pegged him as a fugitive after running his name through their computers.

He'll probably be extradited to Phoenix now, where it'll sure be hotter for him than in Dubai.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2009/06/theeroticreviewcom_founder_dav_2.php
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NY TIMES 6/4/09 Reports:
Sergeant Andy Hill of the Phoenix police said that according to border patrol agents, Mr. Elms told them that after skipping bail, he fled to Toronto, then Dubai, Armenia, Iran and Mexico.

Mr. Elms remains in custody in California, where he may face additional charges there on a probation violation, Sgt. Hill said.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/prostitution-site-founder-david-elms-arrested-at-border/
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South Bay Crimes and Courts reports 6/4/09 Highlights
We got word today that David Elms, a former Hawthorne and Torrance resident who was on the run after failing to appear in an Arizona courtroom, was apprehended crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and is now in custody in Los Angeles. The founder of the online prostitution rating service TheEroticReview.com is likely to appear in Torrance Superior Court Friday for a possible probation violation.

Man is sought in 2 states - TORRANCE: The creator of a prostitution rating Web site is wanted after Phoenix incident. Elms , who founded and ran an online prostitution rating service, was on probation for drugs and weapons convictions stemming from a 2006 arrest at a Manhattan Beach hotel when he was arrested last month in Phoenix.

The 37-year-old allegedly attempted to hire undercover officers there to kill a prostitute, who has a lawsuit against him, and hurt another man. But he was only charged in Maricopa County Superior Court with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and drug weapon possession charges.

Out on $150,000 bail, Elms failed to appear at two hearings scheduled earlier this month. A judge signed a bench warrant for his arrest and raised his bond to $300,000. Meanwhile, prosecutors in Torrance are preparing to ask for his rearrest for violating terms of his probation by traveling out of the state and failing to stay out of trouble.

Elms launched TheEroticReview.com in 1999 as a place for prostitutes and their customers to share information, write reviews and correspond. Although The Erotic Review issued a press release on March 3 saying the Netherlands-based company has "parted ways" with Elms , many think the two entities are one and the same. Included in that list is the target of the would-be contract killing, who sued Elms last year.

Locally, it was a problem with a prostitute that led to Elms ' arrest at the Hawthorn Suites hotel in Manhattan Beach on Feb. 11, 2006, according to police. A woman who ran out of the room when officers arrived told detectives she was a prostitute Elms picked up in South Los Angeles, according to Detective Matt Sabosky. They agreed he would pay her $100 for sex, she said, and they went to the hotel, where Elms smoked rock cocaine, Sabosky said. At some point, he took a gun out of his bag. She ran and he ordered her to take off her clothes. With the gun in his hand, he ordered her to orally copulate him, and she complied until the police knocked, she said. However, Elms told police that, after spending the entire day with a different prostitute because his wife has medical problems that make her unable to have sex, he picked up this prostitute on his way home, Sabosky said. She helped him buy some cocaine and he cooked the powder into a rock in the hotel microwave, Elms told the police. He said he agreed to pay $100 for oral sex, but she kept trying to upsell him and they got into a fight, during which she grabbed a handful of his cash, Sabosky said. Elms said he took out his gun because she called people on her cell phone telling them to come to the hotel. He said she screamed when she saw it. Elms , who lived in Hawthorne at the time, was arrested and charged with gun and drug possession.

In September 2006, he pleaded no contest in exchange for a suspended four-year prison term and three years probation, said Deputy District Attorney Jodi Link.

After at least five failed drug tests, he admitted he was in violation of his probation in July.

According to court records, Elms was placed back on probation and ordered to spend a year in a live-in drug rehabilitation facility - although prosecutors wanted him to go to prison for four years. Link said he has absconded from treatment, left the state and was arrested again - all possible probation violations.

Elms was arrested in Phoenix after police there got a tip from an informant and arranged an undercover meeting with him on Feb. 15, according to Detective Ray Egea. During the meeting, Elms allegedly told officers he was having trouble with a prostitute who was suing him and said he may want her hurt or killed - depending on how the court case played out, Egea said. He also mentioned a 62-year-old man who ran a competing Web site and asked to have him injured, Egea said. Elms inquired about buying a gun, and he was arrested when he bought a half-ounce of crack cocaine from the officers, according to Egea. Although he was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a homicide, prosecutors did not file any such charge against him.
http://www.insidesocal.com/crime&courts/2009/06/south-bay-prostitution-guru-ba.html

Additional Media reports
http://azmediavision.blogspot.com/2009/06/arrest-of-david-elms-today-in.html

Any new info will be posted on the Private Board in the Legal Questions and Discussion section where the above is also posted via http://www.phxlist.com

3/25/09 Man is sought in 2 states By Denise Nix, Staff Writer
Contra Costa Times - Walnut Creek,CA 03/25/2009

Title of article has now been changed to: "Prostitution king sought" but same link and don't see other changes.

New info:1) Elms civil attorney has not been paid and wants to withdraw as his lawyer. This may confirm the "he is broke" rumor vs "he has millions stashed offshore", although he still could.

2) Details of the gun on prostitute incident in the hotel which resulted in his first arrest in 2006 for which he is now on probation. This is similar to what I had been told but is more detailed at http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_11989964?

3) Torrance police are "preparing to ask" for his rearrest for violating terms of his probation by traveling out of the state and failing to stay out of trouble. This seems very slow response to his obvious probation violation. There are rumors LE was in some way paid off long ago not to aggressively go after him but this is only an unconfirmed alleged rumor. He has now had plenty of time to go into hiding or leave the country.

3/18/09 ELMS of TER - Bench Warrant Issued for No Show

"TheEroticReview.com" Founder, David Elms, on the Lam
Mar. 18 2009 @ 12:01PM

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge signed a bench warrant today for prostitution whiz David Elms, who skipped his scheduled arraignment. Elms missed a court hearing on March 4, but officials decided it might have been inadvertent. When he failed to appear again this morning, Judge Margaret Mahoney raised his bond to $300,000 and issued the warrant for his arrest.

Elms, the founder of a Web site that helps people find quality hookers, came to Phoenix from California last month and was promptly arrested by local cops. He was initially accused of trying to hire someone to kill a woman and seriously injure a man, but the charge of conspiracy to commit murder never stuck.

Elms is still charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, plus various drug and weapons charges.

The legal woes have already caused Elms to be booted from his own company. With this skipped court appearance, he seems to be just compounding his problems. But Elms helped write the map to the underworld -- presumably, he's better at hiding off the grid than most.

Source: http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2009/03/theeroticreviewcom_founder_dav_1.php

3/4/2009 Regarding New York Times Article 3/4/09
Prostitution Site Cuts Ties with Founder After Charges

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/founder-of-prostitution-site-is-charged-in-assault-plot/
Many gals have come forward over the years and I have allowed their experiences to be included on this page. Some anonymously but I verified who they were and have their original e-mails so I know they are legitimate. Others shown did want to be named so included their names.

The current situation, is that the Phoenix Police is looking for gals from anywhere to come forward to the POLICE - not to me. I am out of it its being handled by the Police Here is the information requested to be spread to  escorts/companions/providers by Phoenix PD.

Again I am out of it, it is a strictly police matter now. I have no direct evidence other than what escorts have been telling me for many years and is widely known in the industry.

David Elms of TER Arrested in Phoenix

2/16/2009 David Elms of TER Arrested in Phoenix

I am not going to go into details at this time since I am working with the Phoenix Police major crimes unit and with police protection considerations.

On the other hand many think I should go public since the more folks that know I am a target of his, the safer I probably am.  This image says all that needs to be said. If you want to verify it, it is in the Homicide section of http://www.mcso.org/index.php?a=GetModule&mn=Mugshot but it will get deleted in 3 days so I have saved a screen shot:

Small Sample of Media Reports
http://www.kpho.com/news/18728534/detail.html#-

This most extensive report
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2009/02/erotic_review_founder_david_el.php

Latest AZ Republic update at
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/02/18/20090218elms0218.html