My indepth story on possible misconduct by Seattle prosecutors published by The Intercept

by | Apr 18, 2018 | conflicts of interest, human trafficking, law enforcement, media coverage, prostitution, sex trafficking, sex work, trafficking, Uncategorized, underage prostitution

A few months ago, I was given access to hundreds of internal documents that had been obtained from the King County prosecutor’s office and other law enforcement in the Seattle area by public records requests. The documents revealed that prosecutors and police in...

How falsehoods about sex trafficking lead to violence at a pizza shop in D.C. plus a ruling on free speech

by | Dec 11, 2016 | human trafficking, law enforcement, pimps, prostitution, sex trafficking, sex work, trafficking, Uncategorized, underage prostitution

The recent shooting at a popular pizza joint in Washington, D.C. has as much to do with the current hysteria over sex trafficking as it does with the untrammeled spread of fake news on social media. The 28-year-old man who fired an assault rifle inside the Comet Ping...

California judge rejects charges against Backpage escort site — at least for now

by | Nov 21, 2016 | human trafficking, law enforcement, pimps, prostitution, public health, sex trafficking, sex work, trafficking, Uncategorized, underage prostitution, websites

The arrest of the CEO of Backpage, a website for sex work ads, as he stepped off a plane in Houston October 6, made headlines. Carl Ferrer, 55, was arrested on a California warrant and charged with pimping by the California Attorney General’s office. Two other...

Were sex workers caught up in recent Seattle raid really being trafficked? And are such raids an effective use of our taxpayer dollars?

by | Jan 27, 2016 | human trafficking, law enforcement, prostitution, public health, sex trafficking, sex work, Uncategorized

In early January, law enforcement in the Seattle area shut down a popular website used by sex workers to advertise their services and by customers to review sex workers. Police also raided a number of luxury apartments in Bellevue where women were allegedly selling...