Headlines in Newspapers Across Canada:
Toronto police break up underage prostitution ring (Correct)
or
Police bust 'Canada's largest prostitution ring' (Sensationalized since is not
about prostitution itself)
Media sensational headlines and sensationalism? Especially considering private
prostitution is legal in Canada as in most of the world but not the "ring" or
"underage" You can also not "live of the avils" which can be used against
agencies but have never heard of it being charged unless its related to them
hiring underage girls or worse as in the current case.
Key Point: The sensationism is the "prostitution" in the headlines. Outcall
private prostitution has always been legal in Canada as in most of the world
except the U.S. It is the excising power of underaged girls that is the main
issue as it should be. But the fear by some is it is making prostitution itself
have a bad wrap when is an isolated case of underaged girls by a known
irresponsible agency that is not the norm in Toronto or Canada.
This creating quite a stir in Toronto. And the response from the Gabrielle of
gabriellesgirls.com quoted at the end of this topic, may be a good lesson
regardless of location. It should be pointed out that the agencies, worked by
huge yellow page ads and in newspapers...Just like in Phoenix how most scam
agencies work. But in Toronto it was underaged workers that was the legal
problem not legal prostitution, despite the headlines.
First the facts
But I don't see why it will have such a widespread effect on agencies in
Toronto, unless they are employing under age girls.
4/8/02 Highlights:http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-04-08-0014.html
"I expect there are a lot of people quitting their jobs this weekend now they
know what can happen if they're caught."
The investigation has now entered its second phase, where police will follow up
with interviews of people and digging through seized paperwork.
Toronto Police sex exploitation section Det. Steve Tracy said police have
received calls from eight to 10 victims under 18.
He said police intend to call everyone on seized client lists to track down teen
prostitutes who haven't come forward.
"I'm not interested (in the clients); I'm interested in the information they can
provide," he said yesterday. "It will be a lengthy investigation."
Operation Pebble Beach, which spanned 18 months, resulted in the seizure of $3
million in assets, including $1 million from 42 bank accounts, seven luxury
cars, computers, jewelry and several properties from the agencies' alleged
owners, David Allan, 43, his wife Rachel, 25, and his brother Richard, 44.
Yesterday, Rachel Allan was denied bail.
Police also found four kilos of pot in two cars during the raids.
Police searching Allan's large Kingston-area farm, which he owned with his
brother, found evidence of an inactive pot-growing operation, sources said.
Allan's son, Geoff Canadien, 23, pleaded guilty on Nov. 20, 2000, to trafficking
pot after the OPP raided the farm a year earlier.
I would assume if agencies just have legal age workers, no pot or other issues
they would not have serious LE concerns.
Earlier Initial Report 4/5/02 from
Thestar.com > News
A "john with a conscience" alerted police to a massive southern Ontario
prostitution ring after being shocked to discover he'd had sex with a
16-year-old, officials said today as they announced what's believed to be
Canada's largest bust. (On a Toronto board someone commented, "I like big busts,
but not of this kind. )
The unusual tip led police to a Toronto-based criminal group that operated out
of several escort services and victimized scores of women — many of them
underage, said the city's police chief. "In the old days they used to call it
the white slavery trade," said Julian Fantino. Fantino added that many of the
victims appear to be as young as 16.
But the operation itself involved dozens of supposedly legal agencies fronting
for pimps, comprising about "90 per cent" of escort advertisements in the city's
yellow pages, said police. The agencies' owners spent an estimated $800,000 a
year on ads spanning 20 pages in the phone book. Police believe the ringleaders
were based out of a fortified home in east-end Toronto that was fitted with
steel doors and shatter-resistant Plexiglas windows. "It was as if a biker gang
operated there," noted Const. Deborah Abbott.
Three of the people arrested are believed to be the owners of the ring: David
John Allan, 43, wife Rachel Allan, 25, and Richard Allan, 44. They and nine
others who worked as call-takers and drivers each face charges of living on the
avails of prostitution, conspiracy to live on the avails of prostitution,
exercise control, and conspiracy to exercise control. The john who sparked the
investigation wasn't charged, he said.
The case is the latest in a disturbing trend in which younger and younger
children are lured into prostitution through supposedly legitimate agencies. Two
weeks ago, Toronto police arrested a group of people who had abducted a
14-year-old from eastern Canada and forced her to work as a prostitute through a
massage agency. "It's a wake-up call for society to come to realize that we have
some very, very serious problems in our society that need to be dealt with,"
Fantino said of the latest case. In January, a young prostitute-turned-pimp was
given a year's probation after convincing a developmentally handicapped
16-year-old runaway to sell sex for cash in Toronto. The then-14-year-old girl,
who said she began turning tricks at age 12, paired up with a male pimp, rented
a hotel room, arranged the tricks and set the price. Last July, a 15-year-old
Vancouver girl was charged with forcing a 13-year-old girl into prostitution
after meeting at a group home. A few weeks later, the younger teen was walking
Vancouver's notorious kiddie stroll. Last summer, a judge dismissed a case
against three Americans accused of pimping an 11-year-old last February when the
child's videotaped testimony was disallowed as evidence.
-------
Some comments from Toronto Boards:
David Allen ... who incidetally had that 2 page ad in the Star (newspaper) a
couple months back when they asked him a bunch of questions. He's the guy with
al the yellow pages ads ... most prominently Touch of Class
These are all Yellow Pages agency ads. The same conglomerate has almost all the
YP ads. No web agencies will likely be affected. Many people have found this
agency to be unethical over the years. It's been around since the late 80's and
bought up all the other (then) agencies ads when they went out of business.
I don' think this will do much at all to the sector as a whole. Most of the guys
on this board don't use this agency. It's taken the cops over a decade to bust a
well-known sleaze-pit. And yes, the cops like media hype and attention as much
as anything else. So all their news releases will be exagerrated. And the Sun,
etc. will breathlessly write down anything and everything the cops tell them.
This has been coming for a long time and it is no big surprise. You have to
remember that this conglomerate of agencies was not only involved in phone
solicitation and underage girls but there were drugs and tax evasion, money
laundering, etc. involved, as well.
I am actually very glad to hear that they are gone. I think that this industry
need to be cleaned up and the unsavory characters should be made accountable for
the way they effect the lives of others, especially those who are in a position
of power. We should all be responsible and conduct ourselves in a manner that is
condusive to equality, fairness, peace, truth and respect. Both for our and
others' individual life(lives) and all of society.
The reputable agencies need to find a way to step in and enhance Toronto's
reputation.
Every agency/owner I've dealt with has always seemed honest and considerate as
hell for and about their employees. That's what these boards are for, separate
the good from the bad. I don't think I'll ever question Sara's, Steph's,
Allison's, Crystal's, Gabrielle's or Troy's integrity. (Apologies to any of the
good ones I've missed.) It's too bad the few bad apples taint the reputation of
so many good people.
I personally believe there is a use for agencies. Not all people are cut out to
manage a business, and that's what it is. It's more than just answering the
phone, going to a hotel/home and performing and then collecting a chunk of cash.
I think they can provide a service, and probably some stress reduction, for the
ladies they represent.
I hope they nail the predators to the wall. I have no interest in underage
providers.
A provider's wisdom about why so many new girls go with this
agency:... "David Alan remained in
business because when a girl is looking for work, she picks up the yellow pages
to look for agencies (at least I did) and when 90% of those ads are his, chances
are, you end up working for him at some point or another. Most hated him, but
remained employed by him because he had the business. Any other agency in
Toronto would be considered 'slow' compared to his."
===================
Gabrielle owner of gabriellesgirls.com responds:
Reporters, LE, And Sceptics: Please Read
After hearing about the arrests of a reputed piece of garbage yesterday and the
dissolvement of his shoddy and notorious operation, I was overjoyed.
After reading in the news today that "whether is a 16 year old runaway or a 36
year old crack addict...that these people are victims..." I was incensed,
sickened and disgusted.
I am taking the oppurtunity to point out some FACTS for those who care to read
them.
1. THE VAST MAJORITY of the women working as independents or with agencies are
not runaways nor are they crack addicts . They are strong, independent women who
have other career oppurtunities and/or are studying or already educated. They
also have families, decent places to live and self worth. It is those types of
comments that belittle and exploit these women, not what they do professionally.
That type of attitude is what keeps people like David Alan in business and
allows operations like his to remain.
2. There ARE reputable agencies, here in Toronto, believe it or not, which are
run by decent people who care about the well-being and safety of the women who
work with them. Who DO NOT accept underage or drug-addicted women to work with
them and discourage immoral or indecent practices. Who SCREEN the clients
carefully and hire drivers for security and not just as mules to cart
over-worked and underpaid, desperate women from "John" to "John".
These agencies are PAID BY THE ESCORTS to represent them in a tasteful and
responsible manner and the women decide when, where and how long they will work,
as well as who they will see in terms of clientele. The women who work with
these agencies end up with most of the money in their pockets! These agencies
direct their fees responsibly towards advertising, security, driver's fees,
phone lines, receptionists and clean, safe, well-organized offices to ensure
that the escorts can continue to make a living on their terms. The owners,
themselves, invest much of their own time in making sure that business is being
conducted in a safe and responsible manner. These owners have genuine concern
for the reputation of their business and the welfare of the escorts, both
individually and as a whole.
3. The clients who use these agencies are respectable gentlemen who do not, in
any way shape or form, want to see underage women or women who are drugged,
alcoholics or do not wish to be doing what they are doing. They treat the
escorts well and if they are not respectful towards the escort, she has every
oppurtunity to leave the situation IMMEDIATELY with the full support of the
agency and is NEVER forced to do ANYTHING she does not feel comfortable with.
The fact that a man would use this service does not condemn him as a pervert,
nor does it mean that he is taking advantage of a desperate or disadvantaged
woman.
4. We, in this business, are not targeting your children, families or social
values and are not preying on or exploiting women. Whoever enters into this
industry either independently or as an arrangement with a reputable agency is
NOT being coerced or exploited and is most definitely not an immoral person. WE
want to have the bad guys out of business as much as the next person who is
sitting at home, reading the morning newspaper or watching this unfold on
television. WE also have children and families and are equally outraged about
this man and what he and his organization stood for.
__________________
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