Hi, I used to be on here seeing clients out of Portland where I was living. One afternoon the cops showed up and busted my front door in. I was cuffed and they went through my home taking client numbers off the cell phone and much more. I went to jail and ended up losing my home which was NOT paid for with earnings from this profession. I was convicted of promoting prostitution 2 times and my life is essentially over. This is the honest truth and I am lost-does anyone have any ideas? Thank you so much.

but can you be a little more specific as to what advice it is you are seeking?

If it is legal advice you want, posting on the Legal Board may be more effective.

-- Modified on 3/29/2008 8:59:08 AM

I think what happened to you is terrible.  LE surely has more important and urgent matters to attend to besides that.  I know here in Atlanta its best to be safe and screen the people you deal with. I don't know how Portland LE established probable cause to get the search warrant, but if you use proper screening procedures you can just about eliminate the possibility that LE will discover your ID.  I would be glad to talk with you on PM if you like.

GT

You may try to put up a good legal fight if LE violated the procedure in any way (BTW, did they have a warrant to bust your front door? Will it stay in court?) Theoretically, you may go as high as to the Supreme Court to challenge the law on constitutional grounds. Other than that, once you are free, consider moving to Canada, where you can be a provider without breaking any law.

ouch.  very sorry this happened to you buxomone. forgive me for turning this around and worrying about my own safety, but in the wake of the spitzer scandal i have to ask: if LE gets a client's email or phone number in this manner, what can they do?  is this enough for prosecution by association?  any info mr fisher, or anyone else?
thanks

If LE obtains a phone number or e-mail standing alone that is not enough to establish probable casue to obtain a warrant.  LE must present articulable facts to magistrate judge that, when viewed objectively, prove that it is more likely than not that a crime has been committed.

Mere communication alone, whether telephonic or electronic, does not meet that objective standard.

GT

webdesigners, hair dressers

who's to say you are a client of hers, or she is a client of yours.

unless you do.


dont put anything in an email you dont want read by a judge.

That's awful.  And who did you hurt?  The law has better things to do than hassle people

I'm confused as to why you were targeted in this way... I mean, I can see getting caught in a sting, but what proof did they have that you actually did anything?

Katie

I'm not an attorney, but can say, with informative confidence, that LE can't, and more importantly, won't do anything if they find your name and number in a provider's database.

Regardless of what information she has about you, it doesn't prove anything.  At the most, it shows you had an association of some sort, not necessarily sex for money.  Any conclusory accusations are speculative at best and supported by weak circumstantial evidence from which many alternate conclusions may be drawn.  The burden of proof lies with the prosecution to prove their accusation beyond a reasonable doubt and this is certainly not enough to do so.

Secondly, what does LE gain by prosecuting you?  Are they gonna "sweat you" for information? About what?  Information about her offshore accounts or your knowledge of her clients in politics?  How she laundered money?  Are they gonna ask you to flip on that county executive who's taking bribes?  

Any idiot in the DA's office who wastes precious human and financial resources filing charges and prosecuting someone like you is going to get yelled at by the boss.  Being busted is a big deal to you and would be devastating to your life.  But to the cops and the district attorney you're down there with j-walkers and people spit on the sidewalk.

I say...start over, move if you have to.
You fall of the horse, you need to get right back on.
Change your name, your site your phone # and start over elsewhere. Give it 2 months and you will be back on your feet.  So sorry this was a cluster fuck for you, sounds like they have alot on you. Or you are an example of some kind. Either way, you are going to have to pick up the pieces sooner or later, might as well be sooner.
I don't think they can go all out and ruin your life all together.
Pay Your Taxes. Thats the real key. They can arrest you for prostitution but to make it stick is tricky. Get a good lawyer. If you have property, cars stuff... and no means of an income , Tax evasion will wipe you out. And Yes they will make that stick.  It's simple to prove if you are not paying taxes.

I agree with Nicole, if you have assets, cars, condo's, ect. w/o any paper trail to show purchase with legitimate funds your cooked! So, don't do it.  When I was an Asst. U.S. Atty. the threshold to prosecute was $10,000 on evasion cases, i.e. Gov't would not even look at it unless it exceeded this limit, and even then it was usually not indicted unless it was a really blatant case of evasion.  So, they are not going to nickle & dime ya.  Just be sensible about what you do and you don't have to be paranoid all the time.  I been in pvt. practice doing criminal defense work her in Atlanta for 30 years, and the Gov't does not prosecute anyone
on evasion case unless they have big ticket purchases which cannot be explained. If I were you, I would move on, start over. Best of luck to you.

GT

That was another thought of mine as well...you must have pissed someone off.
If you are one who works out of her home, stupid move in my opinion, then your neighbors may be the key there. The local police are done listening to it and they are out to put a stop to your behavior. There goes your house.  
It sounds like you did someone a bad turn and this is Your payback.
Not condoning the results just sounds a little dramatic for a prostitution charge alone. Taxes Baby... no matter to them how you paid for all you have if you can not prove it you're screwed.

-- Modified on 3/29/2008 4:25:07 PM

It's  easy to guess what happened to someone else or why...  There is the RICO law that allows the govt to take people's homes, and a lot of money goes to the city.

I think she's had enough bad luck and bad news

racketering, illegal gambling, bootlegging, murder, etc.

they busted like 80 private homes in a 3 day sting operation. upper-class scottsdale soccer moms doing incall from their homes.

i think they did it to fund local compaigns and get headlines.

even if you're found innocent, you have to prove how the house was paid for to get it back.

every case got thrown out for police misconduct because they were getting bj's and fondled .. the police say the da's office knew beforehand that they were going to do that but the da's office denied this.

i think the da's office did approve it because they had no intention of wasting their time trying 80 prostitution cases... they got what they wanted.

funds and headlines.
for their campaigns.

county prosecutors distribute the forfeited assets and proceeds at their discretion.. they are also elected officials.

i doubt there are 80 women doing incall in scottsdale from their homes. would suck to get busted just for having a nice house.

-- Modified on 3/30/2008 2:33:23 AM

Yeah, the Feds used the net worth analysis, i.e. compare everything you own with the income you reported.  In his case it was huge.

GT

You got some of your details wrong.  It did not involve 80 upper-class soccer moms doing in-call from their homes.  Only 33 houses (including 10 massager parlors) and 45 women were involved, the rest were clients caught in the  sting.
Nearly all the women were not what I would consider to be upper class soccer moms http://www.walnet.org/csis/news/usa_2003/arizrep-031114.html. You are right, Sheriff Joe Arpaio who ran the operation has been called as America Toughest Sheriff and is noted for his numerous made for TV publicity stunts and this was just one of them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio.  Google Joe Arpaio and you will find many more examples that he is a nut job. Portland Maine or Oregon does not have anyone comparable to Joe Arpaio and I also wonder why just "buxomone" and not other Portland ladies were so targeted.  I suspect we are not getting the full story, with a little suspicion that this may be a hoax post


-- Modified on 3/30/2008 5:49:09 PM

first - post this on the legal board if you've not already done so.

Second - do not get a good lawyer... Get a GREAT lawyer.  Why?  Because if they did this as you post... it could be illegal search and seizure... but a lawyer with ALL the facts would need to make that determination.

Third, - do you have savings... If so you may want to invest in "reinventing yourself."  This would consist of a new identity - one that would permit you to work, earn a living (albeit a modest one) while this moves forward through the courts...  

Finally, do you have friends - in or out of this biz who could help you where you live?  

This does happen... and I am sorry for this.

Ahem, Cops just don't show up at your home and kick the door in for no reason. Your home must have been used in a crime.

That is why you don't fuck where you live or work with, for or around under age people.
That is why you stay on the D.L and have another job. So people don't wonder where you get the money. That is why you don't run around looking flashy in your own town!

This why you don't DO so many things, you must have done, so you stay out of jail.

Also after reading the below LAW which is pretty much the same in all states, it seems you were running a whore house out of your house, and possibly had minors involved, IF in fact you were guilty of said crimes.

You may correct me if I am wrong.  

I HOPE I am wrong about the minor part.

Also If you are a criminial and you  own property.  You should probably not have it in your own name.

So what to do now?  Learn from your Le$$on
MOVE away, change your name and get a better plan.

Don't operate an agency and don't do drugs!
remember prostitutionis illegal.  Personally I don't know any prostitutes and am not a prostitute myself.

First of all, Maddy is not a lawyer but she knows how to research law. IF you got JAIL time then you did something serious, you did it TWICE, someone did not keep their mouth shut,  and or you had a shitty lawyer.

I guess you did not learn the first time.

I feel for you.  I don't know what else to say.
good luck.

§ 1351: Promoting prostitution in the third degree; class F felony
A person is guilty of promoting prostitution in the third degree when the person knowingly advances or profits from prostitution.

Promoting prostitution in the third degree is a class F felony.

§ 1352: Promoting prostitution in the second degree; class E felony
A person is guilty of promoting prostitution in the second degree when the person knowingly:

(1) Advances or profits from prostitution by managing, supervising, controlling or owning, either alone or in association with others, a house of prostitution or a prostitution business or enterprise involving prostitution activity by 2 or more prostitutes; or

(2) Advances or profits from prostitution of a person less than 18 years old. Promoting prostitution in the second degree is a class E felony.

§ 1353: Promoting prostitution in the first degree; class C felony
A person is guilty of promoting prostitution in the first degree when the person knowingly:

(1) Advances prostitution by compelling a person by force or intimidation to engage in prostitution or profits from such coercive conduct by another; or

(2) Advances or profits from prostitution of a person less than 16 years old.

Promoting prostitution in the first degree is a class C felony.

§ 1354: Promoting prostitution; attempt to promote prostitution; corroboration
A person shall not be convicted of promoting prostitution or of an attempt to promote prostitution solely on the uncorroborated testimony of a person whose prostitution activity the person is alleged to have advanced or attempted to advance or from whose prostitution activity the person is alleged to have profited or attempted to profit.


Permitting prostitution is a class B misdemeanor.

§ 1356: Definitions relating to prostitution
As used in §§ 1342-1355 of this title:

(1) "Advance prostitution." A person advances prostitution when, acting other than as a prostitute or as a patron thereof, the person knowingly causes or aids a person to commit or engage in prostitution, procures or solicits patrons for prostitution, provides persons or premises for prostitution purposes, operates or assists in the operation of a house of prostitution or a prostitution enterprise or engages in any other conduct designed to institute, aid or facilitate an act or enterprise of prostitution.

(2) "Profit from prostitution." A person profits from prostitution when, acting other than as a prostitute receiving compensation for personally rendered prostitution services, the person accepts or receives money or other property pursuant to an agreement or understanding with any person whereby the person participates or is to participate in the proceeds of prostitution activity.

There is a whole lot missing from this story.
read the laws I posted.

I like the canada idea.

Maybe she can write a book?
How not to get busted TWICE.

WHOTELS are NO TELLS!

Yes, my second thought was that the story is either incomplete or just fake. LE don't bust doors unless something serious is going on behind. If the story is still real but she forgot to mention drugs/minors/human trafficking involved, then LE did the right thing...