Read more at Bloomberg.com…

Craigslist Not Responsible for Sex-For-Hire Ads, Judge Rules
By Andrew M. Harris

Craigslist won dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, that accused the classified ads Web site of creating a public nuisance by providing a forum for prostitution services.

U.S. District Judge John F. Grady in Chicago threw out the lawsuit filed by Sheriff Tom Dart, finding that the site was only a conduit for others to publish the ads and wasn’t legally responsible for their content.

“Sheriff Dart may continue to use Craigslist’s website to identify and pursue individuals who post allegedly unlawful content,” Grady said in a 20-page decision posted on the court’s electronic docket yesterday. “But he cannot sue Craigslist for their conduct.”

An interesting article about the online pay-for-sex scene. Read more at redOrbit.com…

Internet Fuels Virtual Subculture For Sex Trade

The Internet has spawned a virtual subculture of “johns” who share information electronically about prostitution, potentially making them harder to catch, according to a new study co-authored by a Michigan State University criminologist.

The research by MSU’s Thomas Holt and Kristie Blevins of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte challenges the common perception that sex customers act alone and do not interact for fear of reprisal or scorn. The study appears in the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography.

Holt, assistant professor of criminal justice, said today’s Web-savvy johns use the Internet to solicit prostitutes and to provide each other with warnings of prostitution hot zones and stings, which can hamper the efforts of law enforcement officials.

But the more police become familiar the johns’ Web activities, the more it can help them zero in on the perpetrators, Holt added.

“The growth of these deviant subcultures has made it more difficult for law enforcement,” said Holt, who has helped police devise prostitution stings. “On the other hand, it gives us a new opportunity to use the way the offenders communicate to better target their activities.”

The study analyzed prostitution Web forums in 10 U.S. cities with the highest rates of prostitution arrests: Atlanta; Baltimore; Chicago; Dayton, Ohio; Elizabeth, N.J.; Forth Worth, Texas; Hartford, Conn.; Inglewood, Calif.; Las Vegas; and Memphis, Tenn.

In the Web forums, the johns provide detailed information on the location of sexual services on the streets and indoors, as well as ways to identify specific providers, information on costs and personal experiences with providers.

The open nature of the forums led the johns to carefully disguise their discussions with a unique language, or argot, based largely on code and acronyms. This argot may help johns and sex workers to avoid legal sanctions and any social stigma associated with participating in the sex trade, the researchers said.

Craigslist has closed it’s ‘erotic services’ section, after a bit of scrutiny from law enforcement. But it looks like the racy ads have migrated to the new ‘adult’ section. Progress? See what ABC News says…

Craigslist Clean-Up: Is it Really Working?
Conn. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal: ‘We’re Not Going Away’

It’s been nearly a month since Craigslist promised improvements to clean the Web site of prostitution and graphic images, and while attorney general watchdogs report some progress it still takes just seconds to find illegal activities advertised on the site.

ABCNews.com looked at advertisements in eight cities and almost immediately found posts that were both lewd and illegal in markets that included Hartford, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Salt Lake City and Columbia, S.C.

The ads have ranged from a lusty “Hey fellaz” with hourly rates to raunchy photos, and even an offer to trade drugs for sex.

“It’s very much a continuing battle,” Connecticut State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal told ABCNews.com. “So far, Craigslist has failed to do enough and that’s why we’re asking the questions.”

Craigslist, which told ABCNews.com that it was being unfairly targeted, was hit with a fresh round of questions on May 26 from the attorneys general of seven states, requesting more information about the site’s screening process and criteria for banning certain posts among other details.

The Web site has yet to respond to the AGs’ letter sent to Craigslist attorney Edward Wes, but Blumenthal said further action would be determined, in part, by the answers to those questions.

The police increasingly turn their attention to Craigslist for easy hobby-related busts.   The Journal Inquirer reports…

Craigslist ad leads to another prostitution arrest
By Matthew Engelhardt

A local woman faces prostitution charges after police say she offered sex to an undercover officer in exchange for cash during a sting at her apartment Tuesday afternoon.

Police said Tammy Franco, 39, placed at least 13 advertisements offering sex on the Web site Craigslist.org during the last few months, most recently on Tuesday.

Franco, who admitted to having a serious drug problem including crack-cocaine and heroin, had a history, police said, of posting such ads on the erotic services section of the popular Web site. And several calls and letters from residents about criminal activities occurring at Franco’s apartment also came into police.

An undercover officer arranged a meeting with Franco at her apartment after responding to Tuesday’s ad, police said. During the meeting, Franco propositioned the officer in exchange for a $100 bill. That’s when he signaled other police officers, who then entered the apartment.

Police said that after Franco realized it was a sting, she attempted to hide the cash and other items under a rug, but police quickly found them. She later told police she was using prostitution to fund her drug problem, police said.

Franco was charged with prostitution and tampering with evidence. She was held in lieu of $5,000 bond and was to be arraigned today in Manchester Superior Court.

Police said Franco has been using Craigslist.org to advertise prostitution since at least March when police responded to an ad and placed Franco in a drug detoxification program.

A previous undercover operation was set up in August, police said, when an officer contacted Franco through the Web site. At the time, police said she invited the officer into her apartment, but refused to get into his car. No charges were filed.

This is the second time in less than a week that area police have used Craigslist.org as a source in busting prostitution stings.

On Friday, Manchester police charged five women, including one woman from East Hartford and one from Manchester, with prostitution at a local hotel after arranging meetings through the Web site.