I saw recently where 5 illegals were arrested for running a brothel near Annapolis.  Probably not someplace anyone here would have gone.

Any other arrests? They're public record and newsworthy. No? Maybe there aren't any.

It seems to me like LE realizes the best (and perhaps only) way to stop the business is to hit the demand side by creating a ridiculous level of paranoia among clients.

It's tough to make a prostitution case.  Pretty much impossible if the person doesn't say something stupid. Nothing has changed that, and it's true with an indie or an agency.

It was clear to me from the press releases that fear was their primary tool.

If we cave in to that, then the terrorists have won!

If clients stop buying, then providers will stop providing. They'll go to other cities. Mission accomplished.

To me, tHe press releases remove any doubt that's the real strategy.

when you say "If we cave in to that, then the terrorists have won!" you mean to say LE = Terrorist?

Posted By: J2526

I saw recently where 5 illegals were arrested for running a brothel near Annapolis.  Probably not someplace anyone here would have gone.

Any other arrests? They're public record and newsworthy. No? Maybe there aren't any.

It seems to me like LE realizes the best (and perhaps only) way to stop the business is to hit the demand side by creating a ridiculous level of paranoia among clients.

It's tough to make a prostitution case.  Pretty much impossible if the person doesn't say something stupid. Nothing has changed that, and it's true with an indie or an agency.

It was clear to me from the press releases that fear was their primary tool.

If we cave in to that, then the terrorists have won!

If clients stop buying, then providers will stop providing. They'll go to other cities. Mission accomplished.

To me, tHe press releases remove any doubt that's the real strategy.

Terrorism is a methodology.  If you use terror to influence behavior, then you are what you are.

but if you know a few real names it is a snap to look up the arrest records and see how the cases are disposed. with a few "hobby side names" one can get the names on the "opposing team" and so see the larger picture from the official POV. in early 2010 at least a half dozen well reviewed TER ladies were officially embarrassed. some were so embarrassed that they indeed did go missing. some gents are gone (and their TER profiles) too. this is a small fraction of the total number of busts. remember too that arrests are not convictions but can still have devastating consequences.

i stopped counting after a few more than the half dozen. MoCo used to be a favorite place to play but no more.

the statistical impression i get is that ~1/10-1/20 of the arrests touch the TER community in some way. some ladies disappear, some cooperate, some manage to keep doing business without cooperating. same with the hobbyists. there are a few who it seems have sufficient character (or is it orneriness?) to persist without rolling over on someone. sorting out which embarrassed folks are keeping on while cooperating from those who are not cooperating is subtle and difficult.

sharing incalls, sharing scheduling services, sharing recommendations in return for kickbacks and discounts, and sharing references are exploitable vulnerabilities. it is clear that the same behavior that brought about the Desert Divas and Minnesota Goud Guys disasters are alive and well in DC and attracting the same kind of attention.

one can take note and reevaluate one's risks and procedures or not.

that for the bark to be effective, there must be some bite!

the creation of paranoia is only effective when there are real world consequences. i would prefer to avoid volunteering to be a victim of terrorists. but terrorists need victims in order for their terror to be taken seriously.

of course there are those who are invested in the view that everything is normal and whose profits are curtailed by caution. the prudent, careful hobbyist knows that paranoia, in the correct dosage, isn't a disease. it's a survival skill.

Montgomery County, Howard County, and Anne Arundel County, etc are looking to make big press releases.

When you look at the past few years they took down some agencies they were looking for the madams/pimps.

We found out that some independents were not truly independent. Sharing incall is very dangerous. We have found out via press releases that the neighbours snitched and told LE.

LE watched for months and made busts either by getting around screening or questioning johns when the leave incall.

I guess that's my question... Has anyone been bitten, or is this all bark and no bite?

Is there any real basis for the terror?

Seems like there's no basis for making a case against any client who isn't a complete idiot.

Where are the News stories, or court records, about the busts?

I recall the PG press release mentioned 193 arrests.  Seriously? There are 193 providers or hobbyists missing?  I don't think so...

Of course, for folks in PG government, I think they wish ties to prostitution were the worst of their problems...

Why?, does that offend you?

such articles and information cannot be posted on TER due to policies, which people like me can appreciate.

Many hobbiest, providers and a few agencies just this past few months. Not just in MoCo but also elsewhere within DC area and NVA.

You can find some of them if you know where to look and also if you use the right keywords on google news.

Also posts like yours will certainly cause more headaches for the community. Some things are understood but never mentioned in public, remember what we do here is 'illegal' fantasy!

We know that the FBI has been involved in a national campaign to deal with trafficking in underage women. I'm assuming that means working with local enforcement in some jurisdictions. It also appears that there is someone in police enforcement in MC who has a passion about curtailing the escort trade.

I think what the MC press release was about was celebrating a new strategy where enforcement turns from busting streetwalkers and setting up stings of johns to focusing on prostitution in cyberspace. So I do think it signals somewhat a change in direction.

I'm not arguing whether the panic of the last two weeks was justified or not. I'm just saying that I think there were signs that law enforcement is thinking about ways of combatting the shift in prostitution from a street trade to something that occurs on-line. In that regard, it is significant. The bust you mention in your post is old-school. One assumes they will continue with that kind of enforcement as well because of health issues and community complaints. But I think that law enforcement is also focusing on cyberspace and I don't think it makes sense to assume they will be completely lame and have no impact whatsoever.

Are people actually arrested?   YES
Are people's lives ruined by overzealous LE spending too many resources on the wrong things?  YES

But:

193 is not a "big" number in the scale of the universe.  Many of them were likely not in the DC area.  Of those that were, most probably never heard of TER.  Even the most paranoid of posters here can't believe they were shipped off to a gulag somewhere.And of the few that have they're unlikely to rush on here saying "Guess what happened to ME yesterday!"

"Infiltrated"?  I don't know what it means, but keeping in the paranoia and fear theam, if that is what they want to create they wouldn't feel obliged to be 100% honest, would they?  It could be totally fake.  It could mean that some "providers" posting here aren't.  Or some "clients" posting here aren't.  It sure menas that just because someone is a TER member doesn't imply they're safe, one always should take due dilligence.  Does it mean one particular rumor or another is true or not?  I have no idea, have little way of finding out, and it isn't worth my time to worry about it.  True or not, I should do my best to be careful and protect the safety of myself and my date.  I fully endorse Tex's comment, "the prudent, careful hobbyist knows that paranoia, in the correct dosage, isn't a disease. it's a survival skill."

but some of us "paranoids" only become paranoid when old enemies resurface to interfere with our fun and games AND interfere in our real lives. luckily no doughnuts or bad coffee involved, yet. but i have more good reason than most to be careful and do very careful research.

"it's not a disease, its a survival skill."

How EVERYONE is labeled a human trafficker...  I do believe that should be stumped out... but there are a lot of young ladies out here that enjoy what they do and WANT to do what they do... am I wrong?  There should be a CLEAR separation between human trafficking and a young lady who chooses to provide a service.

or any of the follow ups? This investigation started as the result of a homicide where a prostitue was also critically wounded. These guys running the brothel in Annapolis were scumbags and deserved to be taken down. They were participating in human trafficing and bring women in under false pretenses and forcing them into prostitution. How can you see this bust as anything but good? They only went after them because of the other serious violent crimes they were involved in. The bust really had little to do with cleaning up prostitution.

Of course.

My point is that this arrest (and a Howard County SW sting) are the only prostitution arrests I see occurring in the area.

Today, someone posted an article regarding a BWI incall arrest, but it apparently arose from complaints and was clinched by an overly-talkative client.