The idea that a sports event draws 50,000 to 100,000 escorts to the host city is absurd.  It’s just the type of info that ‘nonprofit groups’ like to peddle.  While big events mean more people, which means more money, and pro escorts will follow, those numbers are just fantasy.  Read more at NBCDFW.com…

Prostitutes Look to Score at All-Star Game: Cops
Dallas police say areas hosting big sports events see influx of prostitutes
By ELLEN GOLDBERG

North Texas is expecting thousands of visitors for the NBA All-Star Weekend, but Dallas police are also making plans to deal with some unwelcome visitors — prostitutes.

“We have been told from other cities that there is going to be an increase in prostitutes,” Lt. Christina Smith said.

A nonprofit group in Phoenix estimates that between 50,000 and 100,000 prostitutes flooded its city during Super Bowl XLII last year. Dallas police said they don’t know what to expect from the All-Star Game.

“I think it’s safe to say we will see some girls that are the traditional street prostitute, and fair to say, we can expect more of the escort-service type of girls,” Smith said.

The department is taking a page from the playbooks of other cities that have hosted high-profile sporting events, such as the NBA All-Star Game.

To prepare, the vice unit is adjusting officers’ schedules and hours so that all hands are on deck next week. Dallas police said they will focus on prostitution hotspots, such as Harry Hines Boulevard, as well as high-end hotels.

For those considering going to those private shi-shi get togethers where the cool escorts trade witticisms with those cool clients, realize that attending the party might cause you some grief.

Read more at KHOU.com…

Houston cops crash Christmas party for hookers, johns
by Jeff McShan

Houston police crashed a Christmas party for high-priced call girls and their customers last week at a Midtown club called Element.

Tuesday night, police were back out rounding up the men who allegedly paid for sex at the party.

“This is a party that was organized on a Web site that caters to mainly prostitution,” said Lt. C. Vasquez with HPD’s vice division.

Members of the site called ASPD.net chat about Houston escorts and even write reviews. Warnings are posted about police activity, and which escorts can be trusted.

Members must be invited to join, and then a check is done to verify their employment. Operators wanted to make sure no cops were allowed.

But undercover HPD vice officers infiltrated the site and became members.

“It took about four months to get in there, from beginning to end,” Vasquez said.

At the party, HPD undercover officers found enough evidence to charge 12 people with prostitution.

As soon as the arrests happened, members of aspd.net began to chat about the raid.

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.”

Read more at The Houston Chronicle…

5 named in prostitution ring with Houston link
By MARY FLOOD

Five men and women accused of forcing girls as young as 16 into a life of prostitution were arrested in Houston, federal and local authorities said today.

Children 16 and 17 became indentured sex slaves to people who beat them, held them at gunpoint and threatened to harm their families, said Houston U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson. He said one defendant tried to sell a minor to another pimp.

“It’s disturbing when events of this nature occur anywhere. But it’s particularly disturbing when they occur in our backyard,” Johnson said.

He said the girls were presumably separated from their families and lured by a promise that someone would take care of them. Adult women also worked as prostitutes for the ring, Johnson said.

The indictment included accusations of conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, sex trafficking of children and transporting minors across state lines were:

Utilizing prayer to fight the naughty goings-on at some dubious Texas spas. Read more at The Copperfield Sun…

Group approaches “spas” in unconventional way
By VALERIE JONES

A group of about two dozen citizens could be seen late Friday night and into the wee hours of Saturday morning, huddled in the parking lots of several massage parlors that line FM 1960.

But they weren’t trying to enter the establishments. They simply gathered in a large circle, Bibles in hand, and prayed for the managers, workers and people who visited the massage parlors.

“Many of the girls employed here are forced to do this,” said Dennis Mark, executive director of Redeemed Ministries, an organization that focuses on meeting the needs of victims of domestic human trafficking and sex trafficking in Houston. “We are here praying for their safety and protection.”

The group planned to visit 15 massage parlors, praying at each location. Mark carried a 7-foot wooden cross. Students, parents and other concerned community members traveled caravan-style to each location.

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.

Read the whole story at KHOU.com…

Mother of man accused of running prostitution ring speaks out

The mother of a man accused of running one of the largest prostitution rings Houston has ever seen is speaking out.

“In a crisis, family comes together, and it’s very important to show my support for my children,” said the suspect’s mother.

Investigators say the married couple ran a sophisticated prostitution ring with about 1,500 clients.

They believe that the operation’s little black book includes professional athletes, lawyers and doctors.

But the mother says the list is a myth. She also says that now her son and daughter-in-law are living on gift cards donated by family because their assets are all frozen.

She would not say if she thinks her son is guilty. She says she supports her son and daughter-in-law unconditionally.

She says the couple has a real estate business, and now they spend their days taking care of their two small daughters.

Some more details from the high-end prostitution service recently busted in Houston. Read the whole story at CNN…

Texas prostitution ring catered to the rich, police say

A Houston, Texas, couple is facing felony charges in connection with what authorities allege was an upscale prostitution ring that screened clients before charging them hundreds of dollars a session.

According to court documents in the case, the ring said to be run by the couple had a client list 1,000 strong. The documents say the woman told an undercover officer that it consisted of “medical doctors, lawyers, financial services stockbrokers and that kind of stuff … a lot of people you might see on television.”

The clientele also included professional athletes, according to an affidavit filed in support of a search warrant.

The pair were arrested March 10 and face charges of aggravated promotion of prostitution, a third-degree felony punishable upon conviction by up to 10 years in prison. Each was released after posting $5,000 bail, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Police told the newspaper that money laundering charges are likely to follow after the investigation concludes.

The newspaper said the couple, who have two small children, declined comment when contacted at their home Tuesday. It was not immediately known whether they had retained an attorney.

The couple used a Web site to promote the ring, according to the court documents, which were posted on the Chronicle’s Web site. The site changed several times, the documents say, using names such as viviansfriends.com, houstongfe.org and houstongirlfriend.com. The madam used “Vivian” as her contact name, authorities said in the documents. Her husband helped manage the business.

Prospective clients who contacted the business were given a form to fill out, and the promoters used a “prostitution screening service” to check them out, as well as verifying their employment, the affidavit says.

The fee for an “incall” appointment, at an apartment allegedly rented by the pair for such activities, was $250, according to the documents. An “outcall” appointment was $350 to certain Houston hotels; those farther away were more expensive. Cash and credit cards were accepted, the documents say, with the credit cards processed through PayPal, an Internet-based payment system.

The Harris County sheriff had received a complaint regarding the apartment, presumably from a neighboring resident, alleging that prostitution was taking place there, the affidavit says.

Read the story at KHOU.com…

Cops: High-priced hooker ring busted in Houston
Police: Madam called herself ‘Heidi Fleiss of Houston’
By Jeff McShan

The arrest of a Houston woman on prostitution charges has women gossiping and husbands sweating.

Houston police say the couple ran one of the biggest call girl rings the city has ever seen.

Their client list has more than 1,500 names, including professional athletes, doctors, and lawyers, according to investigators on the case.

They say the woman went so far as to refer to herself as the “Heidi Fleiss of Houston.”

Investigators say she recruited some of her high-priced call girls on Craig’s List.

Undercover investigators say the women met their clients at upscale hotels in the Galleria area and charged about $350 an hour.

They sometimes went to a luxurious three-bedroom apartment in the Memorial area to have sex.

Computer forensic experts are busy dissecting hard drives to complete the client list that they say could trigger a citywide scandal.

They’ve already found several names through credit card receipts.

HPD’s Vice Division began working the case two years ago after they arrested a prostitute who was advertising on the Internet.

Police say she told them about the call girl service and a madam known as Vivian.

Police say she ran several different Web sites over the years, including viviansfriends.com and houstongirlfriend.com.

So that’s what they’re calling it now, huh?  Read the story at KHOU…

So-called “stress management spa” owner pleads guilty to tax evasion

A man who ran a string of prostitution houses in Houston will soon be headed to prison.

In 2004, police raided six so-called “stress management spas” under the name Escape.

Inside the buildings, officers say they found young girls, mostly college students, charging $240 an hour.

The man pleaded guilty to tax evasion. Prosecutors say he failed to report approximately $500,000 that his businesses made to the IRS.

He could get up to five years in prison.