I'm tired of the misinformation on this board. I suggest that all hobbyists and providers go and read the DMV's laws surrounding this hobby. There you will find that this activity is for the most part viewed as a misdemeanor offense. In order to prosecute you, LE has to catch you in the act. That's why whenever LE runs a sting they send in a cop who initiates sexual activity (to bust a provider) or nails down the monetary transaction in exchange for services (to bust a hobbyist). That means that LE has nothing on you legally either before or after a session takes place. I have a hard time seeing why LE would enlist a provider to testify against a hobbyist in court about an offense that involves punishment of no jail time and fines of less than $2,500 for first time offenders. Another reason why LE goes after agencies is precisely because they can press more serious charges against them than they can independents and hobbyists (money laundering, trafficking, etc.). Interstate travel dates are a federal matter (mann act).
I agree with you about the agencies. Being in an agency's black book is only a problem once it gets in the hands of the media or a private investigator who's employed by someone who wants to harm a hobbyist. That's LE's trump card. One must also understand that LE has a hard time ascertaining that the people in the black book are actually the people who showed up for the appointment. It's not unreasonable to think that hobbyists use fake names or impersonate others when they hobby--especially since all the info that most agencies ask for is on ANY business card and can be found using a quick online search to find someone's age and hometown. That uncertainty alone helps to keep the black book from becoming public. Erroneously outing a prominent individual as a hobbyist is something that would cause high ranking LE people to lose their jobs plus a possible defamation lawsuit. Trust me, LE takes a big risk whenever they release stuff to the public.
I'm not on the supply end of this, so I have no dog in the fight, but I don't agree with a lot of anti-agency comments I've seen here.
It seems to me that the main down-side of using an agency is the price. The girls are always as pictured (if Photoshopped). They don't schedule and then fail to answer the phone at the scheduled time. You pretty much know what you're going to get. The providers tend to be well-reviewed and answerable for their actions.
I really don't see increased safety issues. From what I've seen, when an agency goes down, that information is widely known within 24 hours.
While LE could theoretically take over an agency and run it as a sting... I've never heard of that ACTUALLY happening. There are various reasons they would be reluctant to do it, including the lawfulness of using the girls' pictures, etc.
Any independent you call for the first time could be a sting. Even if you know her, she's more likely to have turned without you knowing about it than is an agency.
I wouldn't talk to an agency any different than an independent anyway. If they've turned, LE would still have to make its case. If you act appropriately, they wouldn't be able to.
Another real downside of agency use is that they have a database that includes your information (which an independent who screens could too). If you're in a situation that release of that information would cause a problem, then that's a consideration. With the exception of a few very famous people, I've never looked at the names of anyone identified that way.
Okay, so a criminal enterprise has your name in its database. So what? Certainly a criminal case can't be made on that. Also, if I ran an agency, I would make a point of keeping the names of a bunch of prominant politicians and LEO's in my database. That way, if it's compromised, no one is going to want it released, or will have to immediately, and strenuously, discredit it.
Agencies make low-hanging fruit for LE for a couple of reasons. They have a relatively permanent presence that's easy for LE to locate. Also, it's a three-party transaction, and more likely that one party will get pissed off and/or be willing to turn on another. A continued enterprise is an afront to LE and more likely to get complailnts from the community. By busting an agency, they can shut down several providers at once and send a louder signal than a single bust... which what led to our discussion here.
On another topic, the discussions here over the last week remind me of the Twilight Zone episode, "The Monsters are Due on Mulberry Street."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monsters_Are_Due_on_Maple_Street
Aliens decide to dominate earth by triggering paranoia in communities thorugh a few vague and subtle moves, and letting the people simply destroy themselves through their paranoia.
The alleged advice from attorneys I've seen posted here is literally incredible. Your name in a database doesn't mean anything. If an individual provider actually remembered committing a criminal act with you and was willing to testify to that... then you MIGHT have an actual legal problem.
A bigger problem is the (possible) public release of information and the related embarassment. That seems to be LE's biggest threat, .... and the card they've played (I note that salvo on BP was how this paranoia all got started). Not much you can do about that at this point except hope it's a bluff and consider it as you act in the future.
Very informative and educated post by someone who seems to know what he is talking about.
I'm tired of the misinformation on this board. I suggest that all hobbyists and providers go and read the DMV's laws surrounding this hobby. There you will find that this activity is for the most part viewed as a misdemeanor offense. In order to prosecute you, LE has to catch you in the act. That's why whenever LE runs a sting they send in a cop who initiates sexual activity (to bust a provider) or nails down the monetary transaction in exchange for services (to bust a hobbyist). That means that LE has nothing on you legally either before or after a session takes place. I have a hard time seeing why LE would enlist a provider to testify against a hobbyist in court about an offense that involves punishment of no jail time and fines of less than $2,500 for first time offenders. Another reason why LE goes after agencies is precisely because they can press more serious charges against them than they can independents and hobbyists (money laundering, trafficking, etc.). Interstate travel dates are a federal matter (mann act).
I agree with you about the agencies. Being in an agency's black book is only a problem once it gets in the hands of the media or a private investigator who's employed by someone who wants to harm a hobbyist. That's LE's trump card. One must also understand that LE has a hard time ascertaining that the people in the black book are actually the people who showed up for the appointment. It's not unreasonable to think that hobbyists use fake names or impersonate others when they hobby--especially since all the info that most agencies ask for is on ANY business card and can be found using a quick online search to find someone's age and hometown. That uncertainty alone helps to keep the black book from becoming public. Erroneously outing a prominent individual as a hobbyist is something that would cause high ranking LE people to lose their jobs plus a possible defamation lawsuit. Trust me, LE takes a big risk whenever they release stuff to the public.
they are lying.
they are not authorized to determine anyone's guilt.
they can only arrest you if they have "reasonable suspicion" of your guilt.
the judge is the judge of your guilt.
i have had cops tell me that i was guilty.
pshaw !
i know prostitution law like babe ruth knows baseball.
one fake rumor they have "leaked" to your area is one of a pending "media circus"... good... there's a very good chance the media will forget to say "alleged" and it only takes one single mistake to get your case dismissed and then you can file your lawsuit. if your wife divorces you, i'm very sorry and i would suggest you include any and all anguish that you are subjected to due to the malicious false reports that the police deliberately released to the media.
another fake rumor is that they are printing out all of your reviews ... wut fer ? toilet paper ? you cannot take a piece of paper and say "well he said that she blank blank blankety blank" because THAT is heresay and just like any other gossip you "heard", it belongs in high school, and it's not certainly not allowed in court.
one real rumor is that they have taken over some trusted hobbyist accounts.
yes they were able to scare some guys into telling them their login information.
i would suggest to the moderators that they watch any accounts that are logging in from a different ip address this week.
remember that the erotic review is not a publicly owned website, it's a private website....if you don't want someone to view your website, you don't have to.... we have always been very open about our business because we do not break any laws but we certainly do not have to be subjected to police harassment on our privately owned websites.
there are ways to divert specific ip addresses to their own special place on your server and they cant do a thing about it until they get a warrant.
just like they need a warrant to demand access to any other business.
208.76.112.38 is the ip address for montgomery county.
i see no reason why any county employees need to view escort websites while they are supposed to be working.
i'm happy to be of service to anyone who would like to make sure the county employees are spending their work hours working instead of spying.
yes of course it's legal and no i'm not going to do it for free.
$100 to show a blank white screen.... up to 5 ip addresses.
if you want to divert to a different website, i would have to quote you on a case by case basis.
to be honest, they could still access your website from home or a variety of other places, but at least it would make sure that while they are at work and using the county's internet service, they would not be able to waste their time on you.