Seattle Law Enforcement Targets Reviewers Rather than Patrons

[NoHalo4Me]

Interesting news article.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/inside-fight-online-prostitution-review-boards/story?id=48308991

New Law Enforcement tactic. Charge board reviewers with felony promotion of prostitution. No new laws need. They just use the ones already on the books. Seems like a First Amendment problem for law enforcement. But as we know, even a bogus charge, can have extreme consequences for the hobbiest.

From the Article: "Something else unique about this case—the controversial felony charge leveled against several of the website users.

“We have charged the people who were putting the content on the website with a felony charge of promoting prostitution,” King County District Attorney Valiant Richey said. “Men go on, and they post reviews, and they share information,” he continued. “It goes beyond just a review and then on to a recommendation: ‘You have to go see this person, she's amazing. Go see her before she leaves.’”

Felony charges for what many view as simply posting reviews on a website has never been attempted before in the United States. For Richey, it is part of his philosophy of focusing on the demand side of the prostitution industry, targeting the users instead of the suppliers."

My Favorite quote from the article: “In a survey of sex buyers, three-quarters of buyers said they wanted to stop."
My interpretation: 75% of Buyers wanted to stop paying for sex, but did not want to stop having sex with women above and beyond their social limitations! 25% thought it was worth every penny.

Beware my brethren.

[Heisenberg51]

And prove the fictional stories, fantasies and entertainment reviews actually took place by the poster. How do you know anything is legit anywhere on any board? Guess since it is on the internet it must be true.

[Unique_Carpenter]

Old news from late fall 2015.
Note the the review stuff was just add-ons on top of several actual vice undercover confirmed felonies related to Washinton state's various felony definintions of pimping.
The newsies are hyping on review writing as that's the attention grabbing headlines.
Topic previously discussed a bit in the national boards forum "a question of legality" a while back.

[zeejoe]

That'll learn all those fools who put actual prices paid in their reviews instead of double-secret hooker code.

[KCQuestor]

"But I said it was just a dream!"

[NoHalo4Me]

Originally Posted by KCQuestor

"But I said it was just a dream!"

Defendant: "But I said it was just a dream!"

Judge: "Sir, some dreams turn into nightmares. Guilty as charged! Bailiff show the dreamer to his new dream chamber."

[AlbusMilitis]

The prosecutor's premise is that reviews drive demand...must be to young to remember hookers existed before the interwebs.