(I posted this yesterday, but it was removed, probably because I had linked to an article that named names. Didn’t know that was a no-no. I think the topic important, so here it is without the link. I hope Mr Fisher will repost the comment he appended yesterday.)

Here is a case of a sting operation in which a provider was an unwitting participant. Police in Kirkland, Washington, ascertained that a provider was working from a Motel 6. They waited in the parking lot as a succession of clients arrived, and arrested each one after he exited the room a while later. After about 2½ hours of this, they went ahead and arrested the provider, too. Caution is advised. A provider may part of a sting without even realizing it.

Motels are very bad places to provide from because others can observe comings & goings from a distance...  neighbors, staff, management, other guests, Police on patrol or investigating a complaint.  

Its pretty common in a case such as this to intercept exiting clients.  It's unknown if all clients talked...  STFU!  If one were to refuse to make a statement (after being mirandized no less) they would have to be released for lack of evidence.  No one can prove what went on behind closed doors...  unless you volunteer the information to get yourself charged.  Do you suppose the Johns thought they'd get out of it if they talked?  This shows the fallacy of that thinking.
   
What the Johns did was provide probable cause to bust the providers.  Maybe they deserved it for being so dumb about their providing...  or maybe they were desperate & could not afford or did not know of a better location.    

-- Modified on 2/6/2014 7:49:10 PM

who is going to testify against who?  so the cops saw men go into a hotel room. and arrested them when they left? for what crime?  they then thought they had probable cause to enter the hotel room and accuse the woman in there of prostitution?  the person in the room could have been selling jewelry.  
not a lawyer but seems pretty thin to me.  
am I mistaken, or is prostitution and/or soliciting prostitution misdemeanors in Washington?  (don't live there)  do the police not need to see a crime take place or have someone make a criminal complaint to make an arrest for a misdemeanor?  again, not a lawyer.  
 if I was one of the men, I would not say a word. if I was a juror, I would say not guilty all around.

sounds more like a fishing trip than a sting

One of the mom's got wise to what was going on and dropped a dime.

LE decided not to bust her right away but to observe for a while and bust guys as they went out from the apartment.

No one would have gotten busted except that no one would keep their yaps shut, the gals included.

Avoid going to or working from places like that.  It's always bad news.

Very much the truth...  

 Judging from the intervals, they were high volume...  high traffic...  conspicuous.

In Phoenix from ads etc they will target companion and try and get appt using fake references and ID to find location. May not show up for appt but even with silly 2 call system will get address on 2nd call but not show up since all they want is the address to monitor.  

Then watch place for a long time.  In major Phoenix stings of MP/Studio/Temple did surveillance on parking lots for up to six months recording plates of everyone and noting patterns.  

To avoid probably cause they will follow a car leaving that they think was a client and watch for improper stop at a stop sign or any small speeding and do a traffic stop.   Then they will intimidate the guy saying they know he was a client and unless he cooperates will arrest him, embarrassing him with mug shot, wife, employer.

So the guy cooperates - sometimes giving up screen names etc so LE can get fake references or pretend is an active member of a board etc.  In the last month or so rash of reports from companions that guys calling using references of workers long retired from reviews on boards.  This just seems dumb but may have been Sheriff Joes guys who never were too sharp back  when they were going after all the massage gals.  Dirty talking guys were almost allways assumed to be Joe's.  Now Phoenix and local PD are far more professional and now how to entrap.

LE is getting lots of grants and funds under the false guise and scam of being about children and trafficking.  Over the last decade it seems to get worse each year, to protect citizens from any pleasures or the danger of big breasts or a sexy body.  Much more fun than going after real criminals with big guns that go bang.   They become heros to the "victim industry" since of course no women would choose to be an honest companion they are all sexually abused, have pimps and drugs made them turn to "prostitution."

In my view one big issue is a companion should ALWAYS state her hourly/etc rate in all ads.  Having to call for her rate or "special" is not only silly (and I would never call if I didn't know already) but very dangerous legally.   Very easy to trick even an experience companion by being very friendly into saying slighty the wrong thing on the phone and its a easy solicitation bust with 30 days mandatory.  Of course if she works with any other or a phone person its a felony and often 10+ year potential time in prison as we know too well from the zillions of felony cases in Superior Court

Just out of curiosity:

Are any of those felony charges holding up with juries, or do they all get bargained down to misdemeanors with hefty fines but no jail time, at least for a first offense?

I would think it hard for a jury to send someone off to prison for solicitation, but who knows these days what a jury might be capable of.

As for Sheriff Joe, how long before he retires?

best advice is to say NOTHING at all.  If they think they've got you, you are not going to talk your way out of it, but if they don't think they have enough, you may well give them the little tid-bit of information they think they need to make something stick.

I recently won reelection.  I'm guessing it's more likely he will die in office than lose an election  

-- Modified on 2/8/2014 3:34:38 AM

If you make it easy for them they're going to take it.

eom

Sheriff Joe is 81 years old, he has been elected six times and he will continue to be elected for as long as he wants, it is extremely difficult to unseat a well known incumbent like that, which is why nobody worth knowing ever runs against him.  He is not retiring, he will be the sheriff literally until the day he dies.  He is like a Kennedy in that manner.    

Those words of the Bard uttered by Hamlet in reference to whether Denmark was a prison or not also apply to our sense of ourselves as hobbyists.

You are on to something.

While the vast majority of us would be better off just STFU, there are times that we can affect the outcome of our meeting LE by projecting an attitude as you describe.  It's not for the faint of heart, however.

I recall also the scene in the first Star Wars movie when Obi Wan Kenobe tells the Imperial Troopers:  "These are not the droids you seek", and drives right by

They would have walked if they shut the hell up.

For anyone who wants $10,000 worth of legal advice for free, watch this video called "Don't talk to the police"

Joe keeps getting re-elected regardless of his age and the fact his cost to the County of $millions in law suit settlements based on his actions in the Courts.  I wish escorts were as lucky winning.  

What juries?  The only jury case I know of was like a decade ago when a very famous escort who use to be very active here was convicted based on GFE on ad for solicitation.  

The charges now are far more serious felonies for about 100 now in the Court system or recently.  

Early on a few in the Temple case were pled down to "undesginated felony" with 6-12 months probation but only if they signed testimonial agreements to testy against co-defendants.  Undesignated can be reduced to a misdemeanor after probation over.  A problem is those that pled to undesignated can not even start their probation until all cases are settled either by pleas or trial and some of them pled 2+ yrs ago.

A very lucky few did get plead to misdeameanors.   Similar the old DD case were the leaders and the "test drivers" and photo guy went to prison and most now out.  Most of the gals got probation but felonies.  

Similar to the many massage casses recently pled or now in progress, the Studio etc.  

I have read some great legal briefs arguing against the vaguness of the Az prostitution law, raising constitutional issues etc but judge usually just defers these motions to dismiss or in Limine to the trial court and may never get tested before a jury.

As you may know any prostitution plea is a mandatory 15 days in jail in all of Arizona on 1st offense.

A few avoided that by pleading down to disorderly conduct or something not prostitution related but rare.  

The biggest issue is all the gals charged with Association with a Criminal Enterprise felony with no evidence they ever did anything illegal.  They are guilty by association only with the "criminal enterprise."

In one case their are some very good motions to be addressed early March if the judge doesn't just defer again.. In one case there is also in process motions and a civil case for $millions being planned  to be filed for prosecutory misconduct which may be interesting.  In this case there is a real lawyer on board.

There are other lawyers ready to take a constitutional case in the 9th Circuit but have to find the right case and ... about $100,000 in legal fees to start

In 95% of cases I agree.

However in some of what our friend indicaman981 says there is an ounce of good advice.  Not the corporate thing and probably not the cuddle excuse if the cuddle buddy has GFE and illegal stuff on her ads or website.

The bring her dinner she requested is good.  But it will have to be separably verified by the gal which is why they separate you to compare stories if both arrested.  

The cop has a minor amount of discretion.  But most of the long arguments what happens in a 2-3 year court battle you are not going to prevent an arrest by a long legal dissertation to the arresting officer.  All he/she needs is probably cause.

Don't believe everything you read.

If the police see a man exit a prostitute's place of business, and that is all they have, they would not have enough to even get to trial.

Unless the room is subject to video surveillance, they would not even have probable cause to get past the preliminary hearing.

It may be that they are just harassing, but it seems unlikely;.

Another thing that makes me suspicious is that they arrested "a succession of clients after watchng for 2 2/12 hours.  How many clients to providers usually book in 2 1/2 hours?

A man & a woman go behind closed doors.  No one knows what transpired BCDs.   Unless one of them gives a statement / testifies.  If one of them is a LEO, he/she presumably will give such a (truthful, hopefully) statement.   Outside of the LEO possibility, the only other ways to know is a recording (of questionable legality depending on jurisdiction), or if someone who was BCDs VOLUNTEERS a statement / testimony.

I read a case where a truck driver picked up a hooker for a BJ in the truck.  He paid & she refused.  Some how (sorry, been too long & my memory of the case is not clear) he informed the Police of the preceding facts.  HE was promptly arrested on the basis of his own statement.  There was no comment on charges against the hooker...  she might have been charged for solicitation but might also have walked without corroborating evidence...  under current laws she might have been treated as a victim.