8/8/02 Nationwide Escort Bust http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/news/3806228.htm
Dave comments:
Yes we all have heard of the "circuit" bust in the news. Someone I know has been in contact with me who has the actual indictment. Yes, Phoenix was listed as one of the cities but only "unknown" persons and doesn't seem anything is happening regard to any Phoenix connection - because there is no Phoenix connection as far a we know.

I understand the bust was a personal crusade against "evil" by a Federal Prosecutor in Miami. During a 60-day period earlier this year, the FBI intercepted more than 14,000 phone calls. What a huge waste of LE resources to go after wonderful women who serve mankind in private. Over a million dollars in cash was seized at the various brothels (nice incalls for private clients) and lots of money was sent via the mails etc. Since there is no federal prostitution law, the charges were RICO and Mann Act violations since escorts were exchanged between Madams across state lines. It appears many of the madams cooperated with the Feds and set up others to fall by trying to get them to incriminate themselves on wiretapped lines of the cooperating madams.

Yes make all the headlines and news media. 13 madams etc arrested, millions seized. But...this money was from adult customers seeking private sexworkers who were voluntarily choosing to meet the need, charged reasonable fees ($350/hr) and were so well liked lots of money flowed for a needed private consenting adult service. It wasn't even drug money, it wasn't stolen money, it was honest money earned in private where in almost any other country in the world it would be totally legal and no big issue. A perfect example of victimless morality crime. And its so much easier to find wonderful sexworkers and chase breasts than find real criminals that don't have websites or hundreds of grateful customers giving them money. And real criminals that actually hurt people usually have those nasty guns that go bang vs soft tender breasts and a nice smile and touch to lift a man's spirits who is happy to pay for such needed services that benefit our culture. It is the Feds and other LE that enforce these morality laws that are "evil" and hurt society.

Yet the hookers on Van Buren on Phoenix and on streets of most cities, often doing real crime, who are a public nuisance are still there!

"Legalization of Prostitution ?"
A Good overview on the Recent Busts from "jsfox"
Believe it or not posted on : Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry Discussion Board
August 2002
Source: http://www.carmforums.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=read_count&om=1012&forum=DCForumID22
Shared under the educational fair use provision of copyright law with full credit and with no financial benefit.

I’m a consultant to a few elected folk (both Repubs and Dems - sorry) who are concerned about 2 areas with regard to current prostitution laws; 1) the amount of money and resources being spent to prosecute a non-serious and victimless crime and 2) if the current laws might actually be doing more harm than good by driving the industry either underground or onto the streets and by protecting pimps.

Like many I believe that prostitution is both morally wrong and a detriment to our communities. However, like prohibitions against alcohol earlier in the 20th century, laws against prostitution have had virtually no impact on reducing it and likely never will.

Abraham Lincoln once stated: "Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance....for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and make a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded."

With regard to the two recent investigations:
- Approx 43 investigators from the FBI and local law enforcement were significantly involved over the 2 plus year period of the 2 investigations
- Costs of the two investigations were approx $5.8 million.
- Costs of prosecution and expected incarceration are estimated to be $6.6 million.
- None of those involved in the investigations were considered victims of a crime
- All of those involved (prostitutes, customers, and others) were of majority age and stated that they participated in all activities of their own will (eg, none were underage, forced, or victimized)
- No victim complaints have been brought by citizens or corporations.

With regard to prostitution
- Prostitution is not illegal in the US, but is controlled by states laws.
- All states except Nevada and Alabama have some type of law against prostitution.
- All European, many Asian and many South American countries allow legalized prostitution as well as Canada and Israel.
- Approximately 2.2% of US women will, at some point in their lives, engage in prostitution.
- Approximately 17% of US adult males procure the services of a prostitute in any given year.
- Approximately 67% of adult males will procure the services of a prostitute at least once in their lives.
- An estimated 8% of prostitutes operate as streetwalkers, 77% as call-service (eg escorts or courtesans), and 15% as massage therapists.
- An estimated 13% of prostitutes are in a forced situation and 87% of their free will.
- There are no indications that there are any higher occurrences of STD’s within prostitution than in society as a whole.

With regard to current laws
- Are believed ineffective at reducing incidents of prostitution itself or of controlling less desirable related activities (pimping, streetwalking).
- Disincents prostitutes and customers from reporting criminal acts against themselves for fear of their own arrest.
- Disincents prostitutes and customers from reporting child prostitution and similar crimes for fear of their own arrest.
- Increases the need for pimps and their ability to function.
- Drives street activity into neighborhoods where it otherwise would not exist.
- Utilizes law enforcement and prosecutorial resources that might be better directed towards more serious crimes.
- Eliminates the ‘escape route’ for prostitutes to move on to other careers due to having a criminal record.
- Creates criminals out of otherwise respected and law abiding members of many communities without the commission of a crime against a victim.

Pro-Criminal Positions
- Prostitution is immoral.
- Prostitution has a lasting negative impact on the prostitutes, especially those forced into it against their will.
- Prostitution is a contributor to the high divorce rate in the US.
- Prostitution is a blight on many neighborhoods, especially in larger cities.
- Prostitution contributes to the spread of STD’s.

Pro-Legal Positions
- Assist in reducing and/or eliminating child prostitution.
- Reduce the amount of street prostitution and pimping by providing a legal alternative.
- Provide for a future escape-route for prostitutes by removing criminal aspect of their career.
- Reduce the incidents of serious crimes against prostitutes and customers that currently go unreported.
- Provide for a safer and better environment for prostitutes including allowing them to obtain medical insurance and other typical employment benefits that currently must be covered by state and federal agencies.
- Reduce the general incidents of rape and related activities by providing a legal alternative for sexual release. An estimated 32% of rapes are violence based (vs purely sexual) and would not be impacted by this.
- Prostitutes are more cautious with regard to protection from STD’s and therefore help reduce the spread of STD’s
- It’s a victimless crime.
- Provide additional tax revenue.
- Current laws are not effective, we need to try a different approach.

Other  good public board comments of the "circuit bust"

To know that at a time when our news is full of stories about children being abducted (right out of their homes) and harmed in the most terrible of ways that our wonderful LE officials are instead spending hundreds upon hundreds of man-hours looking into prostitution? That at a time when our nation faces terrorism right on our own soil that the legal officials would rather concern themselves with who is boinking whom?

Personally, I hope that someone on Capitol Hill starts raising that question.

Granted, prostitution is illegal. We are all aware of that ... so is jaywalking, running a stop light and driving with an expired decal.

However, it seems to me that murder, rape, kidnapping and terror related crimes have a more pressing need to be addressed. At least imho .........

You know, when I grew up there were always 'hookers' standing on the street corners and in front of various public establishments and I have to admit that the vision was not always the best for families with young children touring a new city. Of course they are still there .... in far lessor numbers though (and I am not trying to be insensitive or crude here).

The point is that with the advent of the escort scene going to the privacy of the internet, one has to realize that the 'hobby' has become far less publically visible and in all reality far safer for all parties concerned.

I feel it is a huge waste of resources and time to investigate these activities. If that level of effort were placed into areas of true national crisis instead, our nation would be more secure and far better off. And perhaps, just perhaps, there would be a few certain children from several states still in their homes with their families and perhaps, just perhaps, there would be several thousand Americans still working at the World Trade Center. Maybe we could have already wiped out terrorism and our sailors and soldiers would be able to come home. Possibly thousands of Americans would still have their IRA's and pensions intact if efforts were directed to corporate fraud instead of directed at persons with 'defective monogamy glands'. Something is terribly wrong here ........... but then again, it IS far safer to go after a man with a d*&# in his hand as opposed to going after a person with a gun or a bomb in theirs.
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For the most part, there are plenty of politicians that take part in this 'hobbying", if you will. Remember that politicians are in office to represent the people of their town, city, state, etc. I guarantee you that, at the forefront of the average politician's mind, is not how to rid the nation of prostitution. It is however to get re-elected again and again. Politicians react by making laws, creating task forces etc. based on your friends, family, church members and neighbors and how they envision their world to be. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and there are some VERY vocal people out there who have nothing better to do than concern themselves with other people's sex lives. And since prostitution IS illegal and if you're married, immoral, you won't have many special interest groups representing that sector coming forth to lobby their local politicians.

But you do see plenty of people that lobby for marijuana (medicinal or non) to be legalized etc. Is there something about prostitution that it's purveyors don't want to publicize? OF COURSE! Most are married, so they know it's morally wrong and illegal. Sure we all speed and know it's illegal. That's why we buy radar detectors. Those who engage in other illegal activities take the necessary precautions to ensure they don't get caught. And in the meantime, there are people that do lobby to raise the speed limits. If you can't come forth in public and say that you think something should be legalized, then you really don't feel THAT strongly about it. Sure you can vent about how frustrating it is that LE is doing their job and enforcing laws that we as Americans voted for, but don?t then go and blame a politician for you not being able to do it! Especially when prostitution was made illegal well before a lot of politicians that are in office were even born.

This is unfortunately what comes with the price of freedom. We, as Americans, have the ability to do what we want and that unfortunately grants others, the freedom to stick their noses in and say that we shouldn't be doing this or that. That my friends is our society, not run by politicians but by us (the common man and special interest groups). So don't hate your elected officials, hate your neighbor, the guy who bags your groceries, your Sunday school teacher or the Christian Movement. Because they're the ones that are impacting your freedoms, not your local politician. And if you really want to make a change, send your opinions to a local politician anonymously, not a board on which everyone agrees with your stance, where you won't make a difference.
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....Those topics are not nearly as sensational as SEX! For the mass media, sex sells.... always has, always will. And don't think for one second that the politicians (national and local) aren't well aware of that! As you so succinctly nailed it... it's far easier to go after a man with a d*&# in his hand and it sells more papers, too!

The hypocrisy of our elected officials has always been a sore spot with me and I thought as I got older that I'd be able to let go of that anger. But you know what? It still pisses me off just as much as it did 20 years ago. The real irony is that if prostitution is illegal in this country, then why are so many politicians and corporate executives (frauds) not behind bars? They've done far more damage to the "fabric of our society" than any escort, streetwalker, or incall establishment!!!!!
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Our dinosaur judicial system is appalling. Not sure about the "logic" behind the escort witch hunt in the US. But scrambling to keep morales in check is definately the least of our problems in this world. We are not immune to war & starvation in our lifetime.

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