Rentboy.com

[Guest SBBOY]

Rentboy.com offices raided

 

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Rentboy-Male-Escort-Website-Manhattan-Arrest-Takedown-Federal-Agent-Police--322826271.html

 

Personally I think there's other issues/crimes that should be dealt with first rather than going after the website

 

 

[BiAggieGuy]

Since it was the feds, I suspect it was about something beyond just prostitution.

Most likely they're looking into their finances and we'll see them hit with money laundering and/or tax evasion charges.

[TigerMilner]

I always wondered how that was legal. I mean they were in your face prostitution. I do agree that there are more important things they could be going after. They weren't hurting anyone, if anything, helping people. Boo hiss

[NLbear]

This is going to have a huge impact on Guy's on-the-side business.

[havocorama]

Since it was the feds, I suspect it was about something beyond just prostitution.

Most likely they're looking into their finances and we'll see them hit with money laundering and/or tax evasion charges.

I think it was the Feds because it crossed state lines. Initial reports said there was a money laundering investigation but in court yesterday the government's lawyer clearly stated that they were not suspected of laundering. It's really just about prostitution.

[seaguy]

What bothers me is the fact that the Depasrtment of Homeland Security was behind the raid.  I certainly won't be sleeping better at night knowing they raided Rentboy.com instead of focusing on real terrorists which is what the DHS was formed to do after 9/11.  Seems like they are wastiing time and money on something totally unrelated to protecting the homeland from a terror attack.

[muscmtl]

sounds a lot like the Henry Vinson story whose gay escort got shut down years ago. Feds pretended it was a money issue but Vinson said that there were too many high profile men (Washington) and that the FBI got scared. There are at least 5 male escorts websites right now, with millions of hits a year, so why only rentb-y, unless some senator asked for a favor.

 

Steve

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G-zHTFBvKg

[Jaegar]

Honestly I met men off there a couple times, and what muscmtl says makes a lot of sense. There's a surprising amount of clients on Rentboy who are far too careless about concealing their somewhat-notable identities. Most "advertisers" are very good about keeping confidentiality, but I wouldn't be surprised if a high powered client got paranoid.

[VersatileBreeder]

It doesn't shock me in the least that this happened to rentb-y.com, even though it seemed to happen out of the clear blue sky.

The mechanics of escorting, especially in the way website like rentb-y conduct them, have always been somewhat fascinating to me. These guys aren't posting that they are looking to go out to dinner. There are nude pics and they are advertising all of their physical attributes and sexual do's and don'ts. It's transparently clear that they are advertising for sex.

But then there is that loophole statement that gets put in. That what they charge is "compensation for time spent only and that anything else that happens within that time is decided by two consenting adults." And that's apparently what keeps escorts out from behind bars. Because you know, guys will pay $300 to spend an hour at a restaurant with an hot, built, and coincidentally hung guy just to make conversation over dinner, right?

Websites like rentb-y and the guys who advertise on them can put whatever disclaimers they want, but let's call a spade a spade here. It's prostitution, whatever way you slice it. And though I think the form of prostitution that they are soliciting is way different and far more victimless than the dark world of prostitution that incorporates drugs, violence, exploitation, human trafficking and all that other horrible shit, it's not exempt in the eyes of the law. And that's why websites like rentb-y need to be careful. It sounds like there was some financial crime taking place here and that has given the Feds an in to raid them and start trying to take down their escorts as well for prostitution, if this goes that far.

[twink-hearts-loads]

This site has been around for 18 years and I find it kind of suspicious they are raiding it just now. Its not like the feds wokeup one day last year and said, "Hey i just heard about this site rentb-y.com! omg we gotta stop it". If anyone here follows politics they know that certain closeted members of Washington DC get caught up in these scandals. So what I think happened was someone really really big in Washington was going to be outted and that person in power had friends in DHS & called them to put a stop to rentb-y.com I cant figure out any other explanation to as why 18 years later, this site gets raided. As someone who use to be a rentb-y, I can tell you that important pillars of society like to use these sites when the wife isn't around & they get off on paying younger guys for sex.

 

As for the guys who use this site, they won't have any problems relocating as their is still adam4adam, men4rentnow.com, craigslist and backpage.

[havocorama]

...It sounds like there was some financial crime taking place here and that has given the Feds an in to raid them and start trying to take down their escorts as well for prostitution, if this goes that far.

There wasn't any financial crime - DHS said so during the arraignment, although they had previously leaked to the press that it was over money laundering. The ONLY charge is for promotion of prostitution.

 

I'm sure a key reason DHS raided them is that Rentboy had built up a pretty decent cash reserve, and now the department gets to take it, possibly also the savings and property of the employees (look up "civil forfeiture" if you don't believe me). In other nations cash seized from illegal businesses goes to general funds, but in the US some genius thought it would be smart to let the agencies involved in the arrest keep it all. That we allow this kind of banditry under the guise of law enforcement is inexcusable, that prostitution is still illegal is insane, and that DHS went after literally the least objectionable form of prostitution imaginable is an outrage.

[wood]

There wasn't any financial crime - DHS said so during the arraignment, although they had previously leaked to the press that it was over money laundering. The ONLY charge is for promotion of prostitution.

 

I'm sure a key reason DHS raided them is that Rentboy had built up a pretty decent cash reserve, and now the department gets to take it, possibly also the savings and property of the employees (look up "civil forfeiture" if you don't believe me). In other nations cash seized from illegal businesses goes to general funds, but in the US some genius thought it would be smart to let the agencies involved in the arrest keep it all. That we allow this kind of banditry under the guise of law enforcement is inexcusable, that prostitution is still illegal is insane, and that DHS went after literally the least objectionable form of prostitution imaginable is an outrage.

If anything IMO they did it because of the stuff like ashley madison in the news.  Additionally while I think a raid like this is stupid this day and age, rentb-y was VERY flagrant about what it was.  The #1 issue is that rentb-y was national/international.  Most the of the equivalent female sites are local, this is exactly why the feds got involved.  Additionally rentb-y was flagrant as fuck, If you look at similar sites based on female escorts, its much more of a "do you want a date for the evening type scenario" Not okay this is my hourly rate, heres my cock, heres what I do sexually.  Thats where rentb-y crossed the line.

 

Do I agree with it? no, but I also think they were lucky they got away with it for this long.  If the company had been more discreet in what they did, and advertised, dates for men who like other men, and didn't allow nudity in its profiles, I bet even with its national presence the raid wouldn't have happened.

 

Given laws in the US Im amazed they lasted this long. we can argue why it lasted this long, but it was a blatant prostitution website.  Lawyers can and will argue otherwise, but I am sure the evidence against them is overwhelming.    

It doesn't shock me in the least that this happened to rentb-y.com, even though it seemed to happen out of the clear blue sky.

The mechanics of escorting, especially in the way website like rentb-y conduct them, have always been somewhat fascinating to me. These guys aren't posting that they are looking to go out to dinner. There are nude pics and they are advertising all of their physical attributes and sexual do's and don'ts. It's transparently clear that they are advertising for sex.

But then there is that loophole statement that gets put in. That what they charge is "compensation for time spent only and that anything else that happens within that time is decided by two consenting adults." And that's apparently what keeps escorts out from behind bars. Because you know, guys will pay $300 to spend an hour at a restaurant with an hot, built, and coincidentally hung guy just to make conversation over dinner, right?

Websites like rentb-y and the guys who advertise on them can put whatever disclaimers they want, but let's call a spade a spade here. It's prostitution, whatever way you slice it. And though I think the form of prostitution that they are soliciting is way different and far more victimless than the dark world of prostitution that incorporates drugs, violence, exploitation, human trafficking and all that other horrible shit, it's not exempt in the eyes of the law. And that's why websites like rentb-y need to be careful. It sounds like there was some financial crime taking place here and that has given the Feds an in to raid them and start trying to take down their escorts as well for prostitution, if this goes that far.

EXACTLTY!! I should have quoted you before, lol 

Since it was the feds, I suspect it was about something beyond just prostitution.

Most likely they're looking into their finances and we'll see them hit with money laundering and/or tax evasion charges.

 

Nope, they were just a direct easy target because they were national.  I did some searches and couldn't find a straight equivalent of rentb-y.  all of them were locally based. 

[Bttm2go]

They should just make it legal. If you want to use your body to make money, that's your business. Think of all the taxes they would get.

[seaguy]

Legalize prostitution and tax it, same for drugs.

[AlwaysOpen]

Funny thing- rentb-y got busted last week, and at least here in Ft Lauderdale, suddenly BBRT and their quick connect ads had a surge of escorts posting availability- even a guy posting as a bottom escort !! Here, of all places- a town   more often referred to as Ft Bottomdale !! I guess the rentb-y  guys are getting short on  their cash and  are putting it out there anywhere they can  in order to  afford their lattes in the morning <g>