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poseidon · 03-30-2011, 02:38 PM

Fucking Bummer. A sheriff's wife must've found out that he was a regular or something and blown their cover.

From the Statesman. The online article has a name so I'm not posting the whole thing here.

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An Austin woman is accused of running a prostitution ring out of Sixth Street business Midnight Cowboy and employed women selling sexual favors for money, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Travis County today.

...

The affidavit said Austin police conducted undercover investigations of the business on several occasions in September and January after receiving information from the FBI that “prostitution and massages were in operation” there.

On Monday, police conducted a search warrant at the business and seized a computer, the document said. Rogers told police that her employees model lingerie, it said.
However, one of the employees, a 42-year-old woman, said she was paid for sexual favors at the business, the affidavit said.

DRorchia · 03-30-2011, 02:42 PM

Every time I see a story like this it makes me think the same thing. LEGALIZE this business already! It's never going away, so you may as well regulate it and make it safe for the provider and the hobbyist.

Ps: Not sure if this qualifies as an "alert". It's more like "FYI".....

Jennatexas23 · 03-30-2011, 03:19 PM

That place has been around for yrs kinda surprised it is still open. Right in downtown not far from the police station. Still a bummer hope the ladies are okay.

Guest080611-2 · 03-30-2011, 03:46 PM

in other news, Hell has frozen over.

RALPHEY BOY · 03-30-2011, 03:57 PM

lets see 25 years ago I walked by Midnight Cowboy wondering what it was....APD aint the sharpest tools in the shed...

DRorchia · 03-30-2011, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RALPHEY BOY

lets see 25 years ago I walked by Midnight Cowboy wondering what it was....APD aint the sharpest tools in the shed...

Time will tell if this was an isolated deal or the beginning of a larger crack down on similar type places

sixxbach · 03-30-2011, 04:07 PM

Maybe I am way off but something tells me there was more going on there and hooking was the easier of the two to blame it on. Rent on 6th is sky high for a biz. I think the owners also dabbled in other things and hookers was the easier charge to go after....

sixx

derek303 · 03-30-2011, 04:10 PM

Last time was there a little over a year ago I noticed the camera's can see you go to the back door from the telephone pole camera's on 5th. So the camera can see you park (license plate) and then walk to the back door.

DRorchia · 03-30-2011, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixxbach

Maybe I am way off but something tells me there was more going on there and hooking was the easier of the two to blame it on. Rent on 6th is sky high for a biz. I think the owners also dabbled in other things and hookers was the easier charge to go after....

sixx

That's the first thing I thought after reading:"According to court paperwork, police received an FBI intelligence report that stated prostitution and massages were taking place at Midnight Cowboy. Austin Police subsequently began an undercover operation in September of 2010".
Makes no sense that the FBI would stick their nose into a massage parlor that's been around for 20+ years unless there's more going on. The time frame though fits roughly to when the FBI was in Austin to work on the problem of underage girls in prostitution. It was part of a nationwide effort to crack down on some of the rings/pimps using these girls.
http://www.m3newmedia.net/blog/fbi-o...fficking-sting
Austin was one of the cities they worked in this sting.

Billy_Saul · 03-30-2011, 04:33 PM

Well this is gonna cause a ripple effect through the local AMP community for awhile. I am sure that all of them will be laying low now. They have been there 30+ years with no problem. I guess checkpoint Art Acevedo needs to make a name for himself.

DRorchia · 03-30-2011, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billy_Saul

Well this is gonna cause a ripple effect through the local AMP community for awhile. I am sure that all of them will be laying low now. They have been there 30+ years with no problem. I guess checkpoint Art Acevedo needs to make a name for himself.

Problem is, with it being almost 6 months between the time they first targeted this place and the bust, those places can't be sure if they haven't already been visited by UC's as well. You're right though, I'm sure they will lay low for awhile.

Billy_Saul · 03-30-2011, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixxbach

Rent on 6th is sky high for a biz. I think the owners also dabbled in other things and hookers was the easier charge to go after....

sixx

Seriously you are right about the rent there though. More then one bar/club has closed up shop and left 6th street over high rent through the years. I always wondered how MC made it. Maybe they did high enough volume, who knows. The more curious existence to me is the other Korean place(s) on the S side. Their property taxes have to be astronomical at their specific location and they do little business best I could ever tell. I bet they fold soon. End of an Era.

shazzan · 03-30-2011, 06:12 PM

Think this is a start to a general campaign to crack down on the sex industry in Austin?

Rod Master · 03-30-2011, 06:36 PM

The FBI probably picked up on the place from a Human Trafficking case. Those girls weren't legal and we probably "working" off their debit from being smuggled into the US.

Billy_Saul · 03-30-2011, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rod Master

The FBI probably picked up on the place from a Human Trafficking case. Those girls weren't legal and we probably "working" off their debit from being smuggled into the US.

Yes of course, they finally cornered the notorious Mrs Rogers after 35 years of human trafficking..