7 people have been arrested for running an 'Internet brothel'

folarin okunola

August 26, 2015 2:46 PM

Each defendant could go to jail for up to five years and fines of up to $250,000, although Rentboy.com's chief executive Jeffrey Hurant stands by his site saying is a legal business

Screenshot of the Rentboy site showing some disclaimers

Although the owners of Rentboy.com say their business is "the world's largest male escort site," federal authorities claim that it is actually an "Internet brothel." On Tuesday, law enforcement officers arrested the chief executive and six employees of the site, charging them with promoting illegal prostitution via their site.

READ: Hackers threaten to leak Ashley Madison's 37 million clients

Each defendant could go to jail for up to five years and fines of up to $250,000, although Rentboy.com's chief executive Jeffrey Hurant stands by his site saying is a legal business which allows escorts to advertise their company and be paid for their time in return.

RentBoy.com, which was founded in 1997, carries a number of disclaimers telling visitors that profiles are used to advertise companionship only.

A screenshot of the homepage shows a user agreement which visitors have to accept before entering the site. The agreement reads: "This site may not be used for the advertising of sexual services or to engage in activities requiring the payment of money for sex or other illegal activities."

According to the Department of Justice’s complaint, visitors on the site are charged a minimum of $59.95 to access it, with fees rising "up to several hundred dollars" a month to post profiles at different levels of exposure around the site.

The complaint further reveals that escorts can list their "primary interests," ranging from "vanilla" to various fetishes such as leather, S&M, and role play.

READ: Two suicides may be connected to hack

"Users can then search profiles based on these primary interests and other categories including escorts' fees, their overnight charges, and preferred sexual positions. Profiles often "contain nude pictures and indications relating to their penis size," states the complaint.

folarin okunola