| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Craigslist Hooker Sweep Nets 28 Women |
| 2009-09-16 |
| Charging that Craigslist remains a "one-stop shop for all your prostitution needs," a Florida sheriff yesterday announced the arrest of 28 women who allegedly advertised sexual services on the popular online classifieds site. Dubbed "Operation Hot Date," the undercover police action also netted several pimps who worked with the alleged hookers, said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. The women, pictured in the mug shots on the following pages, offered a variety of sexual acts carrying prices between $125 and $800. Two of the alleged hookers who arrived for appointments with undercover officers were pregnant, and a third arrived with fur-lined handcuffs. In announcing the sweep, Judd criticized Craigslist for "facilitating prostitution" and deriving proceeds from the illegal act, since the site charges for the placement of the adult ads. Judd added that he wanted to press charges against the web site, which has previously pledged to law enforcement agencies that it would crack down on ads promoting prostitution. I wonder if they can claim that they knew it was the police all along and that they were just playing along with them. Nah, they'd have to be crazy to try that. Well, in any case, click on the link to find out what goes for $150-$800 across Florida. AFAIAC, the reason the girls are smiling is because they know the police just paid thousands of bucks in straight time, OT, gas, maintenance, overhead, legal counsel costs, detention costs, etc. to arrest them, and they won't get a dime back from them. And they'll be back on the street after they're done getting free room, board and healthcare for a while. Oh, I guess the judge gets some attention though, even though he didn't even put a dent in the industry in Florida any more than he did in DC. Maybe he and Kanye can form a support group. |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #9 The real crime is usually tax evasion, although some actually do pay, filing as "independent contractors", "performing artists", "dancers", or "massage therapists". See also: ACORN, advice. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2009-09-16 19:17 |
| #8 Wow, you turned 28 Brothel workers into 28 Street walkers- WAY TO GO! /sarcasm. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2009-09-16 19:10 |
| #7 If only he would keep to having RAB encounters with scumbag Miami drug dealers (the officers shot him 40 some times because they ran out of bullets!). I think some of this is budget related. On our road someone from code enforcement went and gave violation notices to almost everyone. So this might be justify your budget time. This is pretty much fish in a barrel stuff get a short term rental house near Disney and start calling hookers. Last time they did a reverse sting by placing ads on Craig's List and asked potential johns to e-mail them a photo to set up the date. Those guys weren't smiling. |
| Posted by: Don Vito Anginegum8261 2009-09-16 17:19 |
| #6 This will not do one thing to reduce prostitution. Those women will still be prostitutes tomorrow, craigs list or no craigs list. Just legalize and tax it like just about every other western nation does. This idiocy of simply trying to hide it spreads disease, gets people hurt, and funnels money to the mob. No civilization in history has ever gotten rid of prostitution. |
| Posted by: Phinetle Squank7785 2009-09-16 16:07 |
| #5 The dole has been reformed with stringent requirements, with the gadabouts now forced to be "working girls". The real crime is usually tax evasion, although some actually do pay, filing as "independent contractors", "performing artists", "dancers", or "massage therapists". Going after the johns would be more fair, especially after the suicide of the DC madam over this kind of stuff. Legalizing it would be a better alternative. |
| Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2009-09-16 14:32 |
| #4 Probably no change in the overall numbers Richard. I suspect these 28 were already on the dole. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-09-16 13:43 |
| #3 That makes 28 more in the unemployment ranks. |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2009-09-16 13:35 |
| #2 Judd added that he wanted to press charges against the web site, which has previously pledged to law enforcement agencies that it would crack down on ads promoting prostitution. Of course Judd is posturing. He knows that local penny rags have 'personal' sections that do functionally the same thing and that any attempt to prosecute the web service would result in questions why such prosecutions weren't executed against those. Judd already knows the reason and why such costly efforts would fundamentally fail in the court system. Just ask the AG of South Carolina who's playing a similar game. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-09-16 09:20 |
| #1 Pitifully sad. Even more sad is the fact that the men who support this activity are not arrested and horsewhipped. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-09-16 08:52 |