Free Speech Victory

I never saw this announced on any news forum, but on October 20th Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart's suit against Craigslist was tossed out in federal court. You remember the suit – the sheriff publicized it well and then South Carolina AG joined in with his own legal threats. I am only aware of the outcome as it was included in my Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) EFFector List news.


Matt Zimmerman wrote:

On Tuesday, the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois agreed with craigslist, throwing out Dart's complaint in its entirety, confirming that Section 230 immunized craigslist from the allegation that it constituted a "public nuisance." The court made a number of important observations regarding the attempt to saddle craigslist with responsibility for the behavior of its users.

The main points in the decision:

The phrase "adult," even in conjunction with "services," is not unlawful in and of itself nor does it necessarily call for unlawful content. ... The same is true of subcategories. Plaintiff is simply wrong when he insists that these terms are all synonyms for illegal sexual services.


Intermediaries are not culpable for "aiding and abetting" their customers who misuse their service to commit unlawful acts.

Read the court opinion here: Dart v. Craigslist Opinion

Let this be a lesson learned for the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) in Orlando, and for every publisher (print and internet) that the agency managed to threaten into submission. If you have no clue as to what I'm stating, simply click on the "Public Records" link and read every thinly veiled threat the agency made to Craigslist and the final agreement with Orlando area publisher, the Orlando Weekly. Read The Yellow Pages Fiasco to learn more about this agency's longstanding attack on publishers in the Orlando area.

Each publisher should have stood their ground for free speech and stated the same thing to the bully agency that I have since 1994: See you in court!

Now that is a real victory! 

Censored on Craigslist

This is only a quick intermission from the attorney stuff. I'll get back there soon.

Craigslist is set-up to be run by the community, and that community of your peers can easily flag your free classified ad down in no time flat. I have posted ads for my book, Memoirs of an Accused Madam: The War on Adult Business in Orlando, on the Orlando Craigslist on several occasions and each posting was removed so quickly that I never did get to view it live, though my account still showed the post as being live. It is a toss-up as to whether Craigslist never posted it to begin with or the so-called community of my peers flagged it down in lightening speed. It was gone before it was there.

If this is the fault of Craigslist, then shame on them. I have referred to Jim Buckmaster and this online classified website only in the best light in my book and in posts on this blog. I am well aware of what the MBI attempted to do to him. I always felt that Buckmaster was singled-out in the world of online advertising, and undeservingly so. If this is a community flagging problem, well these people are quick as the ad was not visible 30 minutes after it was posted. Unless the community of my peers is a gang of vengeful MBI agents this is not understandable. I envision 20 agents receiving an alert to flag the ad ASAP.

If it is really the community in Orlando doing this flagging, then what type of community is this? Are these flaggers people that despise books and enjoy censoring any writer that they are in disagreement with? For crying out loud – it is a damn book, and a factual book at that. Every page of it is non-fiction. Is this the same crowd that wants to clean-up the libraries, remove any controversial books, and send them to the bonfire?

Scary stuff.

Explicit prostitution ads last much longer than my book ad ever did. What does this reveal about the Orlando community or what is acceptable within the community? I will leave that to your imagination.

All the more reason to read my book.

Hiring an Attorney

If you've made the decision to start-up an escort service, when do you need an attorney, if at all?


Simple answer here: You should find a criminal attorney that you are comfortable with before you answer the first telephone call for your new business. I waited until I made the money from the escort business to cover the cost, and there's not any problem with doing it this way. I seriously doubt that you could be on any police agency's radar in the first month of business. You can always correct any legal issue or mistake in your business set-up at this point.

Be prepared to pay for an initial consultation. You would want about an hour of the attorney's time, so expect to spend between $150 and $400 for that consultation. Don't try to be cheap and get it free or for $50 as this will most likely be the attorney that you speak with for the duration of your business if you have a question, a problem that doesn't involve your arrest on charges relating to your business, or just need some solid advice concerning the legally correct way to go about a specific task.

You do want to avoid ever being charged with anything in relation to your escort service, and trust me; this is the way to do so. Here and there you will spend a few hundred dollars, but this shouldn't have much of an effect on your bottom line at all. You don't need the top attorney in town – you simply need an attorney that specializes in criminal law. There are plenty of recent law school graduates walking around that have just passed the bar exam and are eager to offer advice.

I met with an attorney shortly after opening my escort services back in 1992, we had a lengthy relationship, and one in which I could contact him anytime that I had a problem or a question about a situation that could lead to a problem. I just found him in the area yellow pages under the "attorneys – criminal" category. He never gave me bad advice – my arrest had nothing whatsoever to do with anything that I did. His name is John and today he is a circuit court judge, so I won't offer his last name.

Shortly after my arrest in late 2001, we parted ways as I chose to represent myself with the goal of locating an attorney that could take-on a complicated and voluminous organized crime case. John had political aspirations, which made him a lousy candidate to represent me in the criminal case that I faced. I do respect John, so I also won't go into the specifics involved in our parting.

If you are ever arrested in relation to your escort business you will require a different attorney as it's unlikely that the original attorney you chose for occasional advice meets the necessary criteria. How you choose an attorney to represent you in such a criminal case is entirely dependent on the charges and your knowledge of your level of guilt. Realize that you can always have your longtime attorney represent you at first and look at the original indictment or arrest paperwork. An assessment of your chances could then be offered from a legal perspective. Just hold off on paying that attorney any more than an hourly rate at that point.

Next: Choosing an attorney to represent you in an escort business criminal case.

The Escort Business by another name

First I must inform about my recent good mood, and this is related to the escort business…. I am feeling the euphoric effects of a potential vindication as I sought to help an old friend seek his own answers in a malicious pursuit. It's too early to say more; however, the possibility of that vindication becoming a reality is ever-closer. The era of police misconduct being acceptable, of go-to prosecutors and judges, vicious legal pursuits, and of wholly created cases may indeed be history in the metropolitan Orlando area. More soon…

When I posted on the topic of setting up the business several days ago, I stated that I would follow-up on other possible types of businesses an operator could use instead of that often hated term, the escort service. I do know of parties that have done this (still do), though I will leave these parties nameless for the safety of each.

One party offers a print publication that contains ads for any paying advertiser (escort service or independent escorts). The small newspaper is distributed in area resorts. Those that place an ad can also have the publisher answering the telephone lines. This is a publisher and telephone operator service and is priced accordingly. Print publications are not a viable option in most areas though, so we look to the internet and web publishing.

The other party has a website and an internet marketing approach similar to that of the print publisher. Now this is something that anyone skilled in answering escort service lines and website design and promotion can easily do. In this case the customer is the independent escort, and similar to the print publisher scenario, that escort can answer her own telephone number or use a number provided by the answering service. A service could also be the customer.

If I were to seek a license for such a business I would want it categorized as internet publishing, promotion and sales, and telephone answering service. I believe that both categories would be necessary. In both situations – the print publisher and the web publisher – separate fees are charged according to what the client (escort service or independent escort) wants. One could place an ad for a monthly fee and answer their own telephone line. One could also place that ad for the monthly fee and contract with the answering service to answer an assigned number and provide verified client booking information.

In either case it would be immaterial to the publisher/answering service if the call went through or not, and the fee quoted to potential clients or callers is the choice of the independent or the service utilizing the publisher and/or answering service. Of course one would quickly lose the advertisers if there were no contacts provided or if they were unverified or problem-type calls. Contracts should not be longterm, but should be renewable on a monthly basis. Such a business could also charge a one time set-up fee.

This type of business collects fees from 2 directions – a fee for the monthly ad and a fee for caller information provided every time that it is provided. Each service requires its own contract with the independent escort or the escort service.

More escort business tips will be posted in the upcoming weeks.

Telephone Problems Unresolved

In the course of my research this past week I must confirm that the telephone line blocks on escort services in Orlando are still in force, and I do this research often so I've managed to track a pattern. It's the same game as was described in earlier posts with the blocks being in place in particular resorts when there are medium to large conventions.


For this week my award for FCC violations, constitutional violations, and interference are awarded to the following Walt Disney World resorts: the Dolphin; the Swan; the Yacht Club; the Beach Club; and Boardwalk. Of course there is a list of other affected resorts, but these five win my weekly prize.


I'd also like to offer second place to a list of International Drive resorts: the Peabody; the Rosen Shingle Creek; the Rosen Plaza Hotel, the Rosen Center; the Quality Inn Plaza, Renaissance Sea World; Hyatt Place Orlando; and the brand new Hilton Orlando.

Of course there are many additional resorts that should be added to the awards list in both Disney and International Drive areas, but these places really stick out like a sore thumb this past 5 days due to occupancy rates and specific large convention bookings.

What is one common denominator of these blocking hotels?

The telephone company that services all needs from the PBX systems, to in-room internet, to wireless services. Oh, and the very same telephone company services the Orange County Convention Center and all resorts on Disney property. Without further adieu I will introduce Smart City! Now Smart City also has quite a presence in Las Vegas (go figure)! This enterprising company joined with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor's Authority to further develop a solid imprint in the industry, but I'll go ahead and assert that they were doing pretty good long before making that move, and that the company goes back to 1984. I must add that Smart City used to be Disney's Vista United Telecommunications, which was a limited liability company created by Disney before the buyout. I had to throw that in for good measure.

What is another common denominator? I'll give you a hint – it's all about theme parks, multi-media, and resorts, and it has a worldwide imprint.

What is an additional common denominator? Hint time: The name appears 3 times in the International Drive resort list, but actually owns four of the named resorts.

Yes, I know that I am quite the sarcastic ______ (you fill in blank), but you would be too if these people had robbed you for the last 17 years and set the dogs of war on you by doing their very best to see you buried in a Florida prison.

And where is John Gray, the Spearmint Rhino super-dude of men's clubs? (see You Tube video at the footer of this blog).

Stay tuned for future awards and additional hints.

Setting up a Business

When I wrote Blueprint for an Escort Service, I did so with a presumption that most people know how to open a business in their specific area – not necessarily an escort service, but the initial steps of opening any business. I offered some instructions in the book, including how to get an occupational license. One used to go to "occupational licenses" to get a license, but many areas in the U.S. have renamed it to something tax related, for example: department of revenue; business tax receipts, county tax collector; tax receipts etc…. I don't know why, except that the new naming scheme instills the thought of paying tax and you are paying a tax when you purchase the license. So what used to be self-explanatory now takes a little thought and exploration, but it's the same thing and usually the same people work there and it is in the same location.


I did outline basic steps of opening a business in any state, usually using a corporation or limited liability company, but it can also be done with a "fictitious name" or "assumed name" by filing the Joe Schmoe doing business as "xyz" name with the state. If you do not already know which state office to fill out the form with, it is usually easily found by Googling "open a business in Florida" (substitute your state). In Florida it is the Florida Department of State - Division of Corporations.

Only professions are licensed by the state. Some examples are: attorney; plumber; real estate appraiser; real estate sales; beautician; massage therapist; and accountant. In this situation the professional must pass a state exam of some type and be qualified to operate in the particular profession. Escorts and entertainers are not qualified by any state that I know of, so no need to dwell on a state license. To operate a business of any type, a license is required, mainly so that the local government can collect money from you. Well, it's the truth, and I'm always real on this blog.

There are some areas in the U.S. that make a person jump through hoops and spend a fortune to obtain a license to operate as an escort service. To be an escort and get the appropriate license is not much less trouble and any escort that works as an independent contractor with you will need her own license. For more information on classifications, read Independent Contractor vs. Employee. So for those geographical areas that promote a religious or moral agenda and force one to jump through the hoops in a lame attempt to circumvent the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, well that is good reason to see what other operators in the area do. It is highly unlikely that you will be the only service in a given area, so research it.

In Orlando and Orange County, Florida, the easiest route is to be an entertainment company that sends out entertainers. The same holds true for Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, believe it or not. You will encounter disdain and contempt when requesting a license for an escort company in most areas, but move beyond this and be a big girl or boy. Take control of the situation. If you know that there are 30 companies in your area and each is called an "entertainment service" then don't buck the trend. Just go with it. If you know that each is an "escort service" just get your damn license. Don't whine about people giving you a hard time – these are local government employees – just instruct as to exactly what you want. That means instruct, not ask demurely. Got that?

The escort business can be rough and plenty of people are going to throw interference in your path. The music business, pro wrestling, transportation, and even house cleaning in a heavily competitive area, are not much different. Free enterprise in the U.S. is competitive and often a fight. If you can't make it through the licensing it is unlikely that you would survive anyway.

Before the week is over I'll discuss other potential categories of businesses that could easily fit the method of operation, as discussed in Blueprint, of an escort service.

Red Light Districts

What do you think that a red light district is? You must answer without looking it up anywhere as otherwise it will be a missed point.

I have been writing about red light districts the last several days for no real reason, except that we do not have such places in the U.S., and I miss home – Europe – where they are prevalent. Walking through Amsterdam's red light district is enlightening for anyone. As a teenager and young adult I visited Amsterdam often and walked through the red light district on occasion. I did the same in several cities in Germany – it is really not that unusual in Europe.

A good friend – Dusty in Memoirs – worked in Amsterdam's district from the summer of 1996 until December of 1997, leaving once in a while to work in a club in Switzerland or in Germany. Dusty and my co-defendant in the criminal case, Rocky, performed in clubs – live sex clubs. They did a choreographed sex show. In Amsterdam they worked in Casa Rosso and Moulin Rouge. See the YouTube video "Casa Rosso" on this blog, and no, there is nothing sexual on the video. We do still live in the U.S. and this blog has no porn. It is just the Adventures in Europe dude, Big D, talking to the doorman of the club, but you will get the idea. Now that is in the red light district.

What is not in a red light district is any adult business in Orlando or Orange County. In Orlando the dancers in men's clubs must wear tape on their nipples, and Orlando has a ban on alcohol consumption in adult establishments. Orange County does not have the alcohol ban; however, dancers are more covered than in any place that I've ever heard of. There is no such thing as full nudity in the city or the county. Yet I saw City of Orlando Assistant Attorney Kyle Shepard on television last night, and he had the audacity to state, "We don't want a red light district inside the city." As if such a phenomenon was even a possibility in the City of Orlando! Trust me Kyle – there will never be a red light district in the city.

The city, by the way, refers to all hookers on Orange Blossom Trail as "escort services" on the city website – a statement that floored me. When did we start calling street hookers escort services? These people really lost me long ago. I've always wondered where they came from. Even Disney has Gay Days every year. Hell, I'm just happy that I'm out of there, and I am sure that the feeling is mutual.

So what was your answer to my question? Well, classically, prostitution is offered in a red light district, although one could also consist of sex shops, sex theaters, and live sex shows. I couldn't call any area a red light district unless prostitution was offered by women in windows, street hookers, or in some other unimaginable manner though. It is a term that dates back to biblical times.

Adult Business Restrictions

Adult ordinances in various areas of the U.S. restrict legal behavior of adults and adult businesses with no real reasoning except an agenda of dictating moral values. They can't shut it all down, so they choose to rule by hiding behind law. I don't care what label is behind these restrictions, it is still a morals and religious agenda dictated by the so-called morally superior and backed by puppet politicians.


Restrictions on adult businesses in Orlando were discussed in When Adult Ordinances Infringe (Part 1) and Adult Ordinances Infringe (Part 2). There is an update on the Orlando adult business restrictions and related news from other areas in the U.S. that prompts me to tackle this topic once again. Of course it is a never-ending battle for any business that falls in the adult category and legislation is often volatile, so what holds today may not tomorrow.

The City of Orlando Adult ordinance was once again in the news just two days ago. Minimal changes are being made so that the ordinance is not attacked in court after recent rulings in other areas. The changes were actually supported by local adult business opponents, including pastors and the Florida Family Policy Council, but only because they fear the questionable ordinance could be ripped apart in court and think of this move as prevention. They made it so that adult businesses can open in the city, but only in a far-away industrial area that no one in their right mind would want to open near. They actually even stated that in the news. Every single comment on an Orlando Sentinel blog attacked them for the anti-adult stance. Makes me wonder who these politicians think they represent. One poster made the point that, "Strip clubs don't bring anymore crime than Churches." Another poster, from Tampa, commented that it was a good thing and would help Tampa Bay. Yet another pointed out that they only read the Sentinel to "catch up on the latest home invasions and murders" anyway. One poster called the MBI the Morality Board Inc. – which fits the MBI Governing Board quite well.

To the Florida Family Policy Council: There was a point in my life when I was married and wanted that white picket fence and the house that goes with it, but that was very long ago. That is wonderful that each of you chose the family values ticket in life and it has worked for you, but I was divorced in 1987, and it never worked for me. Cease your attempts to dictate and legislate morals and religion to the rest of the population that doesn't fit into your presumptuous ideals. You have indeed succeeded in sending the majority of our conventions booked in previous years elsewhere. Not everyone goes to bed by 10 p.m. or looks forward to standing in theme park lines all day. Trust me - they didn't all exit because they were having too much fun in Orlando.

The big news that prompted the change to our Orlando ordinance, or at least played a part in the minor and ridiculous change, was a federal appeals court ruling in the 7th Circuit. Four adult businesses in Indianapolis filed suit over several issues and according to the ruling, the hours these businesses are open cannot be limited. The businesses concerned are sellers of adult books, movies, magazines, and well, toys. They can now set-up private booths for patrons to view materials and can remain open 24/7 if they so desire. Naturally the city intends to take it to the higher court – the U.S. Supreme Court – according to words exchanged when the ruling was received. Good – when they lose in the highest court in the nation it will serve to solidify the ruling.

Orlando's ruling puppet politicians should take this seriously. Dictating escort service hours to the extent that a 10 p.m. closing time is enforced and violators charged with misdemeanors, along with other baseless restrictions in the ordinance, should be gutted. Not much doubt that it will be in the days ahead….

I lived in a censored area for 20 years. Those days are over.

Prostitution Views

I decided that it is about time that I reveal my thoughts on the prostitution trade. Often people assume one thing or another about me and how I think, but really they are only guessing. Well guess no more…


I have spent too many years in the most conservative of cities in the U.S. – Orlando – and must admit that it has suppressed me and my thoughts and ideals in ways that I have yet to understand. It is in vast conflict with my views prior to arrival, and in fact turns my life into a conflict. I finally moved away from Orlando and I'll never live there again. I made the decision that is a bad memory that must be buried and suppressed, much like my life has been for the 20 years that I spent connected to the place. Growing up in Europe when I did would be the polar opposite of growing up in Orlando.

My closest friend as I reached age 16 was a prostitute, though she was six years older than I was. Helena was a wonderful person that had a heart of gold and treated me like a princess. The year was 1976 and the location was Kaiserslautern, Germany. Prostitution was not only legal, but was also an acceptable trade; perhaps like being a beautician that made more money. I never understood it to be immoral. I never knew that anyone needed a specific reason to be a prostitute or that it was something that people viewed negatively. During this era in Germany the younger generation was in a state of turmoil and revolt, and it was my experience; not the prostitution part as Helena kept me from that, but the lifestyle. It was a revolt from society, from the horrific history of World War 2 and the Nazis, from the parents and grandparents that were so meek that they did nothing, and from the government with its leftovers from the Hitler regime. It was an all-around revolt. It was the era of the Red Army Faction (RAF), protests and riots, and I must admit that it had an anti-American sentiment that went with it.

Helena taught me German with television and comic books, so I spoke not a high German, but a slang. Imagine how hard it is to grow-up with an unmentionable and unspoken national history and you will be better able to understand the turmoil that the young Germans lived with. Perhaps open sex and acceptance of prostitution as normal came with that naturally. There have been red light areas in Europe for many centuries, but often they were not considered acceptable to much of the population so this was a different time. We do not choose the surroundings and the era that we grow-up in, and for me this is just factual and nothing more. Many people that I encounter in the U.S. would just not understand and sometimes I feel as if they blame this conflict in thoughts and ideals on me, as if I had any control over it.

For me it is a home that I have cried inside to return to since I left. Life has gotten in the way ever since. Once I had my son in 1987 it was not possible to leave the country with him as his father would never have accepted the move. It was my plan to make the move once he turned 18 years, but when he was 15 the MBI came along and cost me every dollar that I had ever saved, including our home. My life has been shaken in ways that I never imagined since that day. As I currently work on a third book I survive with the hope that if the first two do not sell, then perhaps number three will be the charm. The subject is not escort services or prostitution, but it is about life and experiences in a most turbulent era in Western Germany, and of course the people that I encountered that made those experiences what they were, for better or worse.

As you sit in judgment of my statements and thoughts, imagine how it would be to only want to be home, but it is a home that you cannot reach. There is much involved in maintaining a residence in the European Union today and it is not so simple as hopping on a jet. Under the laws of France I am entitled to French citizenship though, and am indeed working on it. I was not only born and raised, in my early years, in Paris, but also visited the City of Light often as an adult. I spent my honeymoon there, partied in underground clubs, dined at the Moulin Rouge, and ate in off-the-beaten path cafés.

I never thought twice about prostitution in the years that I grew-up. I was 25 years of age before I realized that many people had issues with it. This is not only due to where I was, but also the tumultuous years in the particular place. I would like to go back to that, and not necessarily the place, but to the ideal that it is not healthy to be so pre-occupied with the sex lives of others. I do not care about prostitution one way or the other and consider the decisions of others to be best categorized as none of my business.