...and never will.

Or was it because he was recognizable?, which makes it even stupider.

I tried to post a link to a news article containing a link to the affidavit itself, but TER admin wouldn't allow it. I found it on a sports website called Ringer. Anyone interested in reading the details of how this case developed can do a web search on the name of that site + the name of the billionaire. And I'm sure other sites have picked up the same info by now.

I don't think that this story comes with a happy ending (eom)

-- Modified on 2/23/2019 10:06:36 PM

Net Worth more than $4 Billion
Have a chauffeur take you to seek “stress relief”
Go to a public massage parlor
Pay $79 or so dollars for the “massage”
WTF??
I know at least 3 ladies (huge Patriot fans) that would have gladly provided “stress relief”  for free or maybe a game ticket or jersey and they would sign an NDA.
Now the more entertaining question would be what would I/you do for “stress relief” if we had $4 Billion!
I would buy a “stress relief” island and permenantly employ a wide range of “stress relief” experts and you would never hear from me again.
Damn

This entire episode is a great example of the difference between being rich and famous versus being merely rich. A wealthy man can indulge in almost any luxury this world has to offer, but a man who is rich and famous has to be much more careful because there is a big payoff in exposing him. If you could earn $50K to $1MM from the National Enquirer for information about someone acting scandalously, then there is a price on your head every time you unzip your pants (unless it's with your wife).  

Think of Donald Sterling, the former L.A. Clippers owner, whose girlfriend recorded him making racist statements and then sold the tapes to TMZ. Sterling was forced to sell his team.  

Think of Gary Hart, who was literally leading in the polls for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in '84 when a picture of Donna Rice sitting on his lap destroyed his campaign (and his career).  

Being rich and famous means that pussy grows on trees for you, but once you have something to lose, that pussy will frequently try to take it away from you.  

Much better to be rich and anonymous!

The other day I went to a MP here in L.A. after not being able to connect with any of my cheap apt. girls. It was past 9 PM.
Anyways $40 entrance and $100 for the girls is too much for me. That's the reason I'm not a fan of them. Not because I'm afraid. But what are the dangers? What can they get from me?

I read the affidavit again and what jumps out at me is how easy it was to classify this as a "trafficking" investigation. I only saw two (flimsy) items mentioned in support. First, the Jupiter, FL detective mentions that he was told by a nearby LE agency that THEY were investigating trafficking in THEIR jurisdiction and wanted to give a heads-up that a similar business was located in Jupiter. Second, the business inspector noted sleeping areas inside the spa, as well as storage for clothes and other indications that some women were living in the business.

Trafficking, as I understand how it works, needs to involve some degree of force, or intimidation, or use of minors who can't legally give consent. Even if real trafficking was happening nearby, there's no justification for leaping to the conclusion that a "similar" business must also be engaged in trafficking. And what constitutes a similar business? Any massage establishment owned or operated by Asians? What about non-Asian places, eh? How racist is that! About living in the spa, that's certainly a code violation, but trafficking? How many Asian women on the East Coast travel from their homes, in places like NYC, to work in these spas? Since their goal is to make and save as much money as possible, it's understandable if they stay in the spa, or with the spa manager, to avoid having to rent an apt or hotel room. But the most important point is that that's a completely rational explanation which involves no force or intimidation whatsoever. My favorite, and totally legit, AMP has an area where therapists can sleep when things are slow.

The bottom-line is that all LEO currently needs to do is label something as Trafficking and they pretty much have a blank check to do whatever they want. Any AMP, even legit ones, could be targeted. Asian crapshoot places, agencies, and arrangements where several women work together from the same apt are all fair game.

And, as the Jupiter incident shows, trafficking may end up not being proven, or even charged. But lives will be ruined just the same because nobody; not judges, and certainly not politicians, wants to be seen as being on the "wrong" side of this issue

The US govt provides incentives for trafficking victims to cooperate with LE. U and T visas can lead to green cards and citizenship. While that may be an admirable program for true trafficking victims it also provides a perverse incentive for women who were working voluntarily to claim intimidation once their spa/operation has been busted. It also gives LE a carrot to dangle (Certification of Helpfulness) in exchange for evidence/ testimony against owners/managers. Since intimidation is highly subjective, if workers say they "felt pressured or coerced" it'd be hard to prove otherwise. Again, there doesn't seem to be any requirement for actual trafficking to be proven or charged, which means this tool can be used (or misused) pretty much at LE's discretion. And it's not much of a stretch to see how this could be used against agencies, apartment-based operations, etc. As the Jupiter incident demonstrates, trafficking investigations are easily initiated and cast a wide net. Privacy-intrusive investigative methods, such as surveillance, traffic stops for the flimsiest (or non-existent) reasons, also put clients at risk, especially if their info has been recorded and saved by the operation. None of the 170+ clients in FL are being charged with trafficking, but their lives will still be hugely impacted and perhaps ruined for some.

I wondered how LE was able to plant cameras in the massage parlor. It turns out the police told the amp there was a bomb threat. They to had leave the building, while LE search it to protect their safety. so is that an ethical way to carry out a search warrant?

According to this account of the investigation  
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/08/how-massage-parlors-sex-trafficking-case-florida-solved/3048361002/
.
"Three detectives – one of which was always a female officer – constantly monitored the screens during the spas’ business hours, from 9 a.m. to about 11 p.m., he said. They clicked off the monitors if a female client entered the massage rooms, focusing solely on male clients, who are more likely to engage in prostitution, Snyder said."
.
I think that Lopaw could tell them a thing or two about female clients, such as, "There are female clients!" Another one of the things Lopaw could probably tell them is that many times, a masseuse will say "No" if she isn't comfortable with something.  (There are probably fewer "No"s when accommodating male clients because hetero sex is more mainstream and almost everyone knows how to do it.  F-F extras are not known to all masseuses.)  

Need to see more details but it doesn't seem like this is a slam-dunk ruling against LEO. If future warrants successfully address the issues raised by the judge then maybe they'll be allowed, at least in Florida. On the bright side (pun intended) there's an interesting part in the article discussing the effect of turning off the room lights.