Selling Sex to Pay the Bills SWFL Women turn to prostitution
By WINK News
It’s the world’s oldest profession, and the bad economy might be breathing new life into the seedy world of prostitution.
“I’m doing the same thing everybody else is doing, I’m sacrificing my time for money,” said “Britney”, an articulate mother of two and prostitute.
For obvious reasons she did not want to be identified by her real name or show her face on camera but she was willing to detail why she chose her profession.
“I saw that the money was real good, and i could make ends meet that way.”
“Britney” says the bad economy forced her to turn to prostitution, but police say that is an excuse.
“A lot of them don’t want to take responsibility for the decision they made, they were forced into because of the economy, forced into because of bad circumstances,” said Troy Bettencourt with the Punta Gorda Police Department.
Punta Gorda police have turned to several sites on the internet to crack down on prostitution in their area, but they can only regulate what’s within their jurisdiction.
A popular escort site has more postings for areas in Lee and Collier county than any other metropolitan area in Florida, with over 1,000 prostitutes listed.
Lee County deputies bust brothel in Bonita Springs
Lee County deputies investigating a possible crime in Bonita Springs didn’t find what they were looking for but instead stumbled upon a brothel.
When deputies arrived they met a prostitute and found several men playing cards.
“This is a common method for South and Central American prostitution organizations use to indicate payment for the services of a prostitute,” the arrest report states.
Tiger Woods’ ‘group sex’ with prostitutes: Golfer spent tens of thousands on escort girls, claims Hollywood madam
By David Gardner
Tiger Woods was accused last night of spending tens of thousands of pounds on high-priced escort girls when he was away from home playing in golf tournaments.
The shamed golfer reportedly sometimes bedded two at a time, according to a notorious Hollywood madam who claimed she knew he had paid around £37,000 for call girls.
Michelle Braun told the New York Post she sent at least four escorts on pay-for-sex dates with the married father-of-two six times in 2006 and 2007.
‘He liked girl-on-girl. He had sex with them together,’ she said.
The tawdry twist comes as Tiger Woods last night admitted he was a love cheat as he announced he was taking an ‘indefinite break’ from golf.’
Federal prosecutors say two Massachusetts members of a violent prostitution ring have been found guilty of forcing teenage girls as young as 15 to work as prostitutes, taking them to several states.
The two men were convicted in U.S. District Court on Friday. Prosecutors had previously said the 26-year-olds were members of a Boston-based group that operated from 2001 to 2005 in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, New Jersey, Florida and Pennsylvania.
Trafficking victims who were minors when the offenses occurred said in court that Tavares and Jones switched underage girls between themselves and viciously beat them.
Law School Professor Withdraws Suit Against Legal Blog
by Karen Sloan
A law school professor has withdrawn a lawsuit accusing the legal blog Above the Law of publishing a “viciously racist series of rants” after reporting the professor’s arrest for suspicion of soliciting prostitution.
University of Miami School of Law professor Donald Marvin Jones dropped his lawsuit on Wednesday, nine days after he filed it pro se in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He did not respond to a request for comment.
Above the Law Managing Editor David Lat declined comment on Thursday, but in a blog post on Wednesday wrote that there had been no settlement and that the posts Jones complained about will remain on the site. He offered to let Jones make his case on Above the Law, but there was no word from Jones on that front as of Thursday.
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Jones had accused the site of portraying him in a false light, invading his privacy and infringing the university’s copyright on his faculty photo. The suit named as defendants Lat, publisher David Minkin and parent company Dead Horse Media Inc., now called Breaking Media LLC. It sought $44 million in damages and removal of the content from the Web site.
The claims stemmed from a series of posts that the blog ran in October 2007 about a run-in Jones had with Miami police in August that year. Jones — a prominent African-American civil rights activist in Miami — was arrested after he allegedly asked an undercover officer for sex. He insisted he was merely asking for directions. The charges were later dropped and Jones’ arrest record was expunged, but not before Above the Law posted the police incident report and a variety of commentary, including a reader-submitted photo collage depicting Jones conversing with prostitutes. Jones alleged that the collage and much of the commentary was racist and hurt his career.
Key employees of Boynton strip club post bond after raid Dozens charged with prostitution, drug sales and racketeering
By Brian Haas
Four key employees of a Boynton Beach strip club who were arrested Saturday were released from jail after posting bond.
Detectives said a four-month investigation had uncovered organized drug dealing and prostitution in Platinum Showgirls’ VIP rooms.
The club owner was arrested on charges of racketeering, felony public nuisance, using his property for drug sales and profiting from known prostitution occurring on his property. He was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on Sunday night
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The city’s last strip club was closed Saturday. City police, working with state and federal agencies, have charged at least 30 employees of Platinum Showgirls with more than 50 counts, including racketeering, trafficking in oxycodone, sale of cocaine and prostitution.
“This establishment has generated many complaints, not only from the residential neighborhoods nearby, but from citizens throughout the city,” said Boynton Beach Police Chief G. Matthew Immler.
Transvestite busted after “best of both worlds” posting
A transvestite was arrested on prostitution charges after posting an ad for sexual services on Cragslist.com and then trying to seal the deal with an undercover detective, according to officials with the Punta Gorda Police Department.
On Thursday, October 15, the undercover detective was looking in the Adult Services Section of Craigslist – a site officials say is commonly used to advertise prostitution.
The subject line of the posting stated, “The Best of Both worlds.”
“Anytime that we see anyone who is advertising in our city, we will contact them and see if it can further be developed,” said Troy Bettencourt of the Punta Gorda Police Department.
When detectives called the number given in the ad, the person that answered the phone identified himself as “Lori” and said that he was the person who posted the ad Craigslist.
Detectives say while on the phone, the suspect described himself as clean, honest and that the price would be $80 for “everything” -prostitution terminology for sex, according to officials with the sheriff’s office.
Reports also state that he described himself as a great lover and told the caller that he would be pampered and would not leave disappointed.
Detectives say during the phone call, it was very clear that he was offering to have sex for money.
What I saw: Over and over, men take bait in Orlando prostitution sting
by Bianca Prieto
It’s about 4 p.m. Thursday and the afternoon traffic is starting to pick up on South Orange Blossom Trail. I’m sitting in the back of an undercover car, watching and waiting to see the first prostitution bust of the night.
It’s the second day I’ve been with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation undercover vice unit, and I’m anxious about the things I’ll see and learn this time.
I watch as an undercover Orange County deputy, dressed as a prostitute named “Tiffany,” struts along the Trail in a tight animal-print shirt, short shorts and knee-high boots.
Before she goes out, the deputy tells me she isn’t nervous about walking the street.
“I’ve done this before,” she says confidently and hops out of the unmarked vehicle where I’m sitting with two other undercover officers monitoring the situation.
“Hey, baby!” she yells to the men who drive along and honk and wave to her. I wonder to myself how long it will be until someone stops and tries to pick her up.
A few minutes later, I see and hear something I’ve never experienced: I had a front-row seat to watch a john picking up a hooker.
A man in a Chevrolet Trailblazer circles the parking lot where the sting operation is set up. Finally, the “prostitute” walks over to him to get the conversation started. Turns out that the man wants some quick sex, and he’s willing to pay $40 for it.
“Take down! Take down! Take down!” a sergeant says into a police walkie-talkie, indicating that it’s time for deputies in marked cars to move in and make the arrest.
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One after another, the men are arrested — some on bicycles and others in fancy luxury cars. They all have one thing in common: They will pay strangers for sex acts.
The scene repeats itself, until officers have arrested a half-dozen men.
If you had any doubt that when you order the services of a working girl, the chances are that your name and contact info go into some kind of database (even something as simple as an address book) are high. Readers of Insider Escorts Secrets know this, but a lot of others seem to believe that denial is a river in Egypt.
34 charged in Craigslist prostitution sting
by Carly Timmons
34 men and women have been arrested in an undercover prostitution sting called “Operation Hot Date.”
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says undercover detectives talked to women who advertised themselves on Craigslist from Thursday through Saturday, September 10-12.
Hee said the detectives had email and telephone conversations with 28 different women who negotiated prices for sex acts ranging from oral sex to intercourse. The prices ranged from $125 to $800.
All 28 women agreed to travel to an undisclosed location within the county to commit the acts in exchange for money.
Some people, according to Judd, had children with them. Some had criminal records and some had little black books and Blackberrys.
“And those of you who use their services, we’ll be in contact with you. And for those of you who are married, it will certainly be a surprise for your wife,” said Sheriff Judd.
Operation Hot Date: Craigslist sting leads to 34 arrests
A total of 34 men and women have been arrested by Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives after an undercover sting dubbed “Operation Hot Date.” Two of those arrested are pregnant, according to investigators.
The bust took place Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Undercover detectives say they talked to women who advertised themselves on the Craigslist website then, after having e-mail and telephone conversations with 28 different women who negotiated prices for sex acts ranging from oral sex to intercourse, from $125 to $800, all 28 women agreed to travel to an undisclosed location within Polk County to commit the act in exchange for money.
The suspects drove to Polk County from Tampa, Riverview, Lake Mary, Clearwater, Wesley Chapel, Holiday, West Palm, Ormond Beach, Lakeland, Poinciana and Orlando. Sheriff Grady Judd says, “So, you can easily see these prostitutes run the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando.”
Two of the women had recently moved to Florida. One is from Wisconsin and one is from California.
Tiger Woods was accused last night of spending tens of thousands of pounds on high-priced escort girls when he was away from home playing in golf tournaments.
It’s about 4 p.m. Thursday and the afternoon traffic is starting to pick up on South Orange Blossom Trail. I’m sitting in the back of an undercover car, watching and waiting to see the first prostitution bust of the night.
