back to article Feds slap Rentboy.com boss with further charges

Rentboy.com founder and CEO Jeffrey Hurant has been hit with Federal charges of promoting prostitution and money laundering after failing to cut a deal with prosecutors. The not totally surprising outcome comes five months after agents first smashed the doors in at the self-styled largest male escort site in the world, and …

  1. Amorous Cowherder
    Facepalm

    Oh come on! These people cannot be so daft to assume the name was chosen merely for it's humorous appeal and ability to climb the search engine rankings?!!

    1. wolfetone Silver badge
      Holmes

      Maybe a disgruntled customer just so happens to work for the Feds...

  2. Graham Marsden
    Holmes

    Hmm...

    There are innumerable other escort sites out there, all of which operate similar business models and all of which are easy to find with the most basic of searches, so *why* was this one singled out?

    1. chivo243 Silver badge
      Trollface

      Re: Hmm...

      @Graham Marsden

      Maybe one of the prosecutors wasn't satisfied with the service? Maybe one of the prosecutor's family members was *employed* by this service.

      I don't have the answers, but I like the way you think...

      1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

        Are Houses of the Rising Sun Off Limits in AI Virtual Enterprise with Myriad Operating Systems

        Hi, chivo243, Graham Marsden,

        The Rentboy.com MetaDataBase/Client List is a Valuable Commodity Community Asset for Remote Virtual Leverage in an Infinite Number of Engaging Fields and Realised Spaces/Earthly Places.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Are Houses of the Rising Sun Off Limits in AI Virtual Enterprise with Myriad Operating Systems

          Interesting point!

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Are Houses of the Rising Sun Off Limits in AI Virtual Enterprise with Myriad Operating Systems

          Excellent, after a lengthy hiatus, 'amanfrommars' is back.

          I look forward to further 'WTF' comments on the register boards.

          1. BurnT'offering

            Re: Are Houses of the Rising Sun Off Limits in AI Virtual Enterprise with Myriad Operating Systems

            I hope he's here of his own accord. I would hate to think he's been trafficked.

            1. GrumpenKraut
              Alien

              Re: Are Houses of the Rising Sun Off Limits in AI Virtual Enterprise with Myriad Operating Systems

              I am worried as well, as the message does almost parse.

              1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

                Re: Are Houses of the Rising Sun Off Limits in AI Virtual Enterprise with Myriad Operating Systems

                Why do you worry, Grumpenkraut? You"re getting better and better at processing!

    2. PleebSmasher
      Black Helicopters

      Re: Hmm...

      They probably threatened to expose some politician or other.

    3. Tom 13

      Re: Hmm...

      Probably because of the Human Traffic charges.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Hmm...

      Usually its because they are indulging in other businesses as a side line.

      In the UK most escort agencies are left alone unless

      a) they start dealing drugs as well

      b) they indulge in people trafficing or mess about with girl's passports

      c) they don't pay tax - yes the taxman will want his share of the earnings

      Prostitution is not illegal in the UK, but procurement and "living off immoral earnings" is. Does building a website for escorts count as procurement? :)

      1. Graham Marsden
        Unhappy

        @AC - Prostitution is not illegal in the UK

        Well, not yet...

        The Government are currently "Consulting" on Prostitution with the Terms of Reference which say:

        "The Home Affairs Committee is launching an inquiry into the way prostitution is treated in legislation. In particular, the inquiry will assess whether the balance in the burden of criminality should shift to those who pay for sex rather than those who sell it."

        Note that last couple of lines. There is no "burden of criminality" simply for being a prostitute, just some stupid laws about a brothel involving more than one woman at an address or someone employed as security being counted as a pimp, but somehow this consultation is assuming (or implying) that there is or soon will be one...

  3. hplasm
    Meh

    "...so *why* was this one singled out?"

    There's an election brewing in the good ol' US... 'morality' rears it's sleepy head.

    1. John G Imrie

      Re: "...so *why* was this one singled out?"

      Watch this prosecution disappear as soon as the son of a a US politician starts a conversation with 'Er dad ...'

      1. chivo243 Silver badge

        Re: "...so *why* was this one singled out?"

        Er dad ...' you know uncle Bob... well...

  4. POSitality
    Joke

    Slight error in article...

    "first smashed the *back* doors in at the self-styled largest male escort site in the world"

    Fixed :)

    1. ukgnome

      Re: Slight error in article...

      +1 sir, as you beat me to it!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Shouldn't they go after any yellow pages or other advertising medium in that case?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    WTF?

    How is it any business of a government what consenting adults get up to?

    This is bizarre.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: WTF?

      Because of an idiotic US Federal law that makes prostitution illegal... you can buy hard-core porn and guns but not rent an intimate good time...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: WTF?

        "Because of an idiotic US Federal law that makes prostitution illegal... you can buy hard-core porn and guns but not rent an intimate good time..."

        The problem with the prosecutor's claims is that RentBoy was only an advertising site; RentBoy accepted NO money from any interpersonal transaction, they only accepted payment to post user's details and photos. What happened afterwards was not RentBoy's concern nor did they benefit from any..."bonus" activities. A flat fee to post what you want, and nothing more.

        Not only that, it was the Department of Homeland Security that did the raid / bust. Exactly how does personal ads on the internet rate as a threat to "homeland security"?? So "homeland security" is what people decide to do in private now?

        It's a witch hunt and a JOKE.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: WTF?

          Not only that, it was the Department of Homeland Security that did the raid / bust. Exactly how does personal ads on the internet rate as a threat to "homeland security"?? So "homeland security" is what people decide to do in private now?

          Sounds like Homeland Security are really just wanting a copy of all the data, probably for cross-matching purposes.

          The data could fill in a few potential pieces, to enable their further targeting/blackmail/corruption of senators & influential figures.

        2. a_yank_lurker

          Re: WTF?

          I tend to believe there is a political agenda behind this so someone can claim they shut down some horrible website - the truth be damned.

  7. Crisp

    Pay someone for sex, and they are a prostitute.

    Add a video camera, and then they're a performer.

    Why is one illegal but the other one isn't?

  8. spudmasterflex

    Smashed the doors in made me spit my drink out.

  9. thomas k

    "Dedicated customer service team"

    Hahahahahahahahahaha ....gasp ... hahahahahahahahahaha ...ah, ah ... hahahahahahahahahaha

  10. RobHib
    Facepalm

    Does the notional citizen care anymore? I doubt it.

    Who damn-well cares anymore except the Feds? This isn't the 1950s.

    Whether it's p0rn or any other private matter, I'm mightily pissed off at the hordes of petty little bureaucrats who are making decisions–more often than not based on their own warped prejudices–only to cause unjustified misfortune to others.

    The very bureaucrats who initiate such action should simultaneously be exposed along with the accusation. If bureaucrats couldn't hide behind the bureaucracy then much of this vexatious crap would soon disappear.

  11. x 7

    so I guess adultwork.com is next on the hit list? Good luck on that one, its admins run it from Malta, though with a .com address I guess its vulnerable.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    He ran his business openly for nearly 20 years

    ...but he failed to cut a deal. This is a felony with a mandatory sentence of at least 20 years.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Advertising in the US is now a terrorist offence?!

    Dear US

    You have finally jumped the shark

    Love

    The rest of the world

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