413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy

Street and Internet pimps were described by law enforcement and prosecutors as predominantly male,
although females are involved, sometimes in a victim-offender role and sometimes as offenders. Pimps
were not commonly found to work closely together in an organized crime network, but were found to be
highly networked in a social capacity, sharing information about cities’ markets, warning one another
about law enforcement activity, and trading or buying victims between each other. Stakeholders reported
that pimps commonly had prior arrests or incarcerations for drug dealing and may have turned to
pimping because they perceived it as less risky. In a half of the study sites (Denver, San Diego, Seattle, and
Washington, DC), gang involvement in sex trafficking was uncovered. In some cases, rival gangs were
found to be cooperating with one another to engage in sex trafficking. The remaining sites did not
discover a link between gangs and sex trafficking. Some sites also reported gangs may extort Latino
brothels in cities in exchange for protection, but otherwise, are not involved in actively facilitating
prostitution or sex trafficking. A connection between sex trafficking, prostitution, and weapons trafficking
was not reported to exist in these sites, although some stakeholders did report that in a few cases, pimps
were found to carry weapons.
Prices charged for underground commercial sex across cities were fairly consistent and often depended on
the racial and ethnic background of the victim. Age and drug addiction also plays a role in the price
structure. White women and girls were reportedly more expensive and drug-addicted men and women
least expensive and typically least likely to be trafficked. The prices charged by drug-addicted men and
women in prostitution are often tied to the current street value of various drugs, including heroin and
crack cocaine. These men and women typically market themselves on the street for about $20 in each city
in the study.
Pimp-controlled women and children were sometimes exploited on the street and with the advent of the
Internet, they were often marketed via websites such as Craigslist, Backpage, and Eros. This enabled
pimps to advertise pimp-controlled women and children as independent escorts and hide them from law
enforcement detection. Law enforcement reported that the clients prefer white sex workers and, as a
result, pimps target white women and girls. Stakeholders across sites reported that pimps often impose a
daily quota of $500 to $1,000 (depending on the pimp) on their “employees” and typically control
between one to four women and girls at any one time. Prices for these women and girls depended on the
sex act and ranged from $60 for oral sex to $150 to $200 for intercourse.
Erotic Asian massage parlors and Latino brothels were found to be operating in the majority of cities in
our study. The extent to which sex trafficking or prostitution occurred through these venues varied.
Nevertheless, the pricing structure and operation of these venues was fairly consistent. Erotic Asian
massage parlors charge a house fee and a fee per sexual service. House fees go to the massage parlor
owner and any fees or tips for sexual services reportedly go to the women providing them. In some cases,
these women may be working to pay off smuggling debts and in other cases, stakeholders reported that
women were voluntarily involved in prostitution. Latino brothels operated in a variety of venues across
cities. In some cities, they were housed in constantly changing residential locations and in other cities
they were housed in bars or cantinas. Cases were uncovered involving both prostitution and sex
trafficking in Latino brothels across most study sites.
Other UCSE venues were reported across cities, but the extent to which law enforcement could investigate
these venues was limited by resources and political will. Law enforcement in all sites acknowledged the
existence of “high-end” escort services that charge thousands of dollars per hour and limit their client
base to those that pass background checks. As a result, law enforcement was often unable to dismantle
these services, although a few successful cases have come forward across sites. The level of organized
crime behind various parts of the UCSE is still relatively unknown by law enforcement. A lack of law
enforcement investigator diversity and language capability was reported as inhibiting the ability to
uncover certain forms of the UCSE operated by foreign nationals in the United States (e.g., erotic Asian
massage parlors, Latino brothels, Russian-operated topless bars and strip clubs, and Eastern European
escort services). These areas of the UCSE often have closed ethnic networks and limit their client base
ethnically, which provides a challenge for law enforcement to infiltrate relative to street and Internet
pimps, who often do not limit their client base and thus represent easier targets for law enforcement
(often posing as clients).
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