Newspaper employees arrested, charged with "aiding prostitution"

[BushOut06]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-bk-weeklyarrest101907,0,2397550.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout

Their crime? Allowing classified ads for escort services!

<snip>
Law enforcement-officials this afternoon arrested three Orlando Weekly managers on charges of aiding and abetting prostitution.

Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation arrested director of classified advertising Jarrell B. Martin, 43; line account executive Katherine Casey Miller, 27; and display account executive Christopher M. Whiting, 37; while they were working at a job fair sponsored by the Weekly at the downtown Marriott Hotel.

The Weekly's downtown offices also were served notice on racketeering charges for contributing to the prostitution industry. Officials said that the newspaper's advertising executives also helped escort services design ads that would cloak them from the eyes of law-enforcement officers.
<snip>

I'm sure glad to see that Orlando is working hard on these horrific crimes! I'd hate to think that Orlando's crime & murder rate is skyrocketing while they go after activity between consenting adults. :sarcasm:

As George Carlin once said, fucking is legal, and selling is legal - so why isn't selling fucking legal?

[ThomCat]

1. Geez. What is it with the law going after newspaper employees?

First in Arizona, and now in Florida? Is this the start of a trend?

[Horse with no Name]

2. Have to get the case on the book somewhere

so that the SCOTUS can rule on it.
In other words, someday soon it MAY be possible to arrest and prosecute an ENTIRE newspaper for something like, oh I don't know, the Move On ad?

[ThomCat]

3. The ACLU would certainly fight that tooth and nail

but I think you're right. Even if they neocons fail, the effort would chill freedom of the press quite a bit. Newspapers are famous for self-censoring. x(

[BushOut06]

7. I really hope the ACLU steps in and takes this case

This is a SERIOUS waste of time, and would seem to be a clear violation of the first amendment.

What's next, are the feds going to raid the offices of "High Times" magazine?

[ThomCat]

9. I would bet that High Times is absolutely on their target list.

And then they'll raid everyone who has ever contributed or had a subscription. :(

[tom_paine]

20. Don't forget the "chilling effect". ALL totalitarians view the "chilling effect"

as a very important aspect of their res
And this is just another Bushie test balloon, you are correct about that.

Remember the Bushies, like the Mafia, are about DELIVERING MESSAGES.

[Richard Steele]

5. No, it's not the START of a trend...

...it's just part of the CONTINUATION of one.

Every day, bit by bit, we are becoming a totalitarian state.

[John Q. Citizen]

22. Yep, and they target the little guys who print stories they don't like.

[dkofos]

4. This is ridiculous.

[Trillo]

6. This is "upstream" disruption.

Practiced in the drug war against generic allergy meds such as pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. It doesn't matter if those legally using the drug are harmed by the disruption, what matters if those few who illegally use it as a precursor ingredient to an illegal drug are disrupted.

It will be curious to see how successfully this upstream disruption works in a First Amendment case. If allowed by the courts, we will see the Internet itself disrupted, as those upstream providers such as ISPs and Telcos get tough with the "political" opposition who write things not approved first by Big Brother.

It seems like this week the thrust is against "newspapers". It's not as easy to disrupt their transmissions, when compared to electromagnetic-radiation delivered TV signals that are today often passed through satellites.

[ThomCat]

11. Yes, and some, like AT&T, are already trying to claim the right

to censor what you are allowed to access or see over their network. Combine the right to censor their customers with the legal justification of cases like this, and soon we'll have no right to see almost anything that isn't government or corporate approved.
x(

[John Q. Citizen]

24. ATT makes huge bucks on porn

[depakid]

8. Conversely- it would be kinda nice to see media giants who put infomertials on

held responsible for the fraud they purvey. Ad nauseum.

[Trillo]

12. Right --->

But that's not what's happening here. It appears to be the 'little guys' getting punished. Same old story, so common it's cliché....

[depakid]

13. I understand that

and it's Florida- where (like Texas) nothing at all- no matter how Kafkaesque, surprises me.

[Dr.Phool]

10. Orlando will be overrun with prostitutes next week-end.

Florida Democratic Convention in town.

:spank:

[Cassandra]

14. I guess they'll have to go after the Yellow Pages next.

[BushOut06]

16. Actually, they've already done that

They went after the Yellow Pages about ten years ago or so, forcing them to take out the "Escorts" listings.

[DemoTex]

15. Is Ashcroft still around?

Reminds me of Ashcroft's round-up of a dozen New Orleans hookers in 2001 while the 9/11 hijackers set-up and executed their devastating attack.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. Orlando, eh?

Cleaning up the town for all those disney tourists?

[marmar]

18. What Gestapo bullshit!

The Orlando PD sounds like a real stormtrooper outfit. I hope the case gets tossed, and the Orlando Weekly sues the pants off of them.
:wtf: Can this country get any more bollocksed up?

[nashville_brook]

19. along with the arrest of the Pheonix New Times employees, looks like we have ourselves a crackdown.

[John Q. Citizen]

21. This is political harrassment pure and simple. If it wasn't, Orlando would be busting ATT

QUest, Google, etc for allowing prositition ads on their lines/servers.

[Beerboy]

23. Wow, they're printing politcal ads already?

[Elspeth]

25. They're arresting the head of CLASSIFIEDS?

I mean why don't they just arrest the people from Obituaries too. If this weren't so chilling, it would be hysterical.

[struggle4progress]

26. The MBI has arrested three of our employees (Orlando Weekly)

This afternoon, three of our personnel were arrested by the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, on charges related to our publication of adult services advertisements.

At this time, we have no official comment on this matter. However, as the situation unfolds, we will keep you all updated ...

http://www.orlandoweekly.com/blog/default.asp?perm=754