Backpage.com is perhaps the most utilized medium for soliciting sex for a fee in Massachusetts. The website is easy to navigate and saturated with adult sexual opportunity. Just look at today’s edition. Under the “adult” section the top bulleted reference is “escorts”. Underneath this is “body rubs”. The list goes on. When you enter the page there are literally hundreds of advertisements and pictures offering sexual services. Backpage, prostitution and sex for a fee are nowadays synonymous in the Commonwealth. Hundreds of men and women are arrested as a result of activities solicited from this website regularly. This post examines the many ways using backpage.com for sexual services can get you in serious trouble.
Police Monitor Backpage Solicitations
On a regular basis police detectives monitor sexual services on the Internet. Here is a typical scenario revealing their efforts. The cops read the advertisements. The call or email the listed contact information. They arranged to meet with the woman (op person offering sex). This is usually done at a prearranged location, i.e. hotel, home or business. An undercover officer meets with the advertiser where services and fees are discussed. Then an arrest is made. Sometimes, in lieu of an arrest the defendant’s address is provided and a summons will issue.
Police Surveillance of “Massage Parlors”
Sometimes the backpage solicitations are couched as “massages”. If an actual business is advertising massages and the cops think this might be a front for prostitution the conduct surveillance. Once they see an inordinate amount of foot traffic going in and coming out of the building they decide how to investigate the activity. Sometimes the go directly into the facility and negotiate deals for sex. Other times they confront a patron leaving the establishment. Instilled with fear of prosecution, or worse, a spouse finding out what happened, the patron confesses. He tells the cops what is going in the building. Afterwards, the police either investigate directly or get a search warrant.
Reverse Stings
Sometimes the backpage advertisement is generated by the cops themselves. They set up on a hotel room or select a place to meet with someone purchasing sex. Once the person arrives, sexual acts and fees are discussed. Again, an arrest is made or a summons issues. This is known as a reverse sting. Contrary to what many of my clients believe, this is not entrapment. It is a legitimate investigative technique. The objective is to flush out people seeking sexual services, publicize the arrest and prosecute them as a deterrent to this activity. Typically, reverse stings are conducted over an extended period of time. Sometimes these last for hours and other times for days. The result is multiple arrests are extensive press releases. What many people don’t realize is that the crime of sex for a fee implicates purchasers (johns) and prostitutes.
Defending Backpage Sex Crimes
Attorney Stephen Neyman has been defending sex for fee and prostitution cases for nearly three decades. We have enjoyed excellent results with these cases. Call us at 617-263-6800 or email us with any questions about a sex for a fee case. We can help you.