Latest news with #prostitution
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs will try to engineer a post-trial ‘comeback,' report says
NEW YORK — As he awaits his sentencing for prostitution-related charges, music industry insiders already foresee Sean 'Diddy' Combs attempting a post-trial 'comeback.' An industry insider told Us Weekly there's 'no doubt' the Bad Boy Records founder, 55, will eye a return to high-profile form, though it will 'be an uphill battle.' 'Things will never be the same for him,' said the insider, in part because the now-infamous video of the Harlem-born mogul attacking then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel in 2016 'will be seared into everyone's memory forever.' This will make it 'hard for the public to trust anything he says or does,' they continued, though Diddy might not accept defeat so easily. 'He loves to be loved and be the center of attention,' said the insider, who anticipates a 'very controlled' first interview and the announcement of 'some charitable donation ideas.' The remarks come as Combs awaits his Oct. 3 sentencing for two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution — each count carrying a potential 10-year prison sentence — following his conviction earlier this month, and his acquittal of two counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering, for which he could have faced life behind bars. Melvin Villaver, Jr., a music marketing expert and Assistant Professor at Clemson University, told the outlet that regardless of the public's post-trial view of Combs — the subject of more than 60 lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and other misdeeds — 'his rights, royalties and licensing power — will continue to generate value.' Villaver also believes Combs will attempt a rebrand, as he has through monikers like Puff, Puff Daddy, Diddy, Love, etc. 'I imagine he'll try to reshape the narrative around this chapter, too — whether through spiritual transformation, philanthropy or some sort of redemption narrative. Whether or not the public accepts it is another question entirely.' Combs' lawyers told Us meanwhile their client 'is committed to doing the work to become a better man.'
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (32) jailed for eight years for organising prostitution across Dublin
A man who organised prostitution across Dublin by leasing out eight properties to be used as brothels has been jailed for eight years. Stelian Ciuciu (32) posed as part of a couple with another woman, who was working as an escort, to rent properties from unsuspecting landlords, which he then advertised to escorts for their use. He laundered about €320,000 in the process, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard. Advertisement Ciuciu used a WhatsApp group containing about 450 members to advertise the properties to escorts and was heavily engaged in the day-to-day upkeep of the premises, as well as regularly advising the escorts to maintain discretion and not draw attention to themselves, Detective Garda Colm Grogan of the Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit said. Ciuciu, of Brookdale Walk, Swords, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to 20 counts including enhancing the ability of a criminal organisation, organising prostitution, brothel-keeping, using false instruments and money laundering. The offences took place in various locations within the State on dates between January 2020 and November 2023. The most serious of these offences – enhancing the ability of a criminal organisation – carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, while the remaining offences carry maximum terms of between five and 14 years, the court heard. Ciuciu has no previous convictions. Advertisement Sentencing Ciuciu on Wednesday, Judge Martin Nolan said he was involved in this organised and 'pretty sophisticated' prostitution scheme and his principal role was to rent out the properties, which the prostitutes then used 'for their occupation'. Judge Nolan acknowledged that Ciuciu entered a plea late in the prosecution of the case but said this was a 'very valuable plea' as the trial would have been complicated and lengthy involving many witnesses. The judge remarked that substantial profits would have been made from the operation and acknowledged that the gardaí are doing their best to track that money but he said either Ciuciu 'or someone else' profited from the scheme. Judge Nolan set a global headline sentenced of 13 years before he considered the various mitigation in the case. Advertisement He noted that Ciuciu has no previous convictions, has family responsibilities and that his wife and three children are in 'pretty impoverished circumstances' since his remand in custody. He acknowledged that Ciuciu has done well in custody since his remand and accepted letters that were handed into the court on his behalf. Judge Nolan imposed a sentence of eight years which was backdated to when Ciuciu first went into custody last November. Ciuciu forfeited the cash which had been seized during the course of the investigation to the State. Det Gda Grogan told Mark Lynam SC, prosecuting, at a sentence hearing on Tuesday that Ciuciu's offences came to light when some landlords came forward with suspicions about what their rented properties were being used for. Gardaí noticed that similar rental documents with Ciuciu's photo but different names had been used to rent out the properties and Ciuciu was identified and followed. Gardaí followed him to a number of properties that were being used as brothels and some banks where he was lodging cash. Advertisement When gardaí entered the premises and carried out welfare checks, they found prostitution was taking place in each property, with two or more escorts working there, the court heard. A total of €320,000 was found to be going through Ciuciu's accounts. Det Gda Grogan said this money, which was mostly lodged in cash by Ciuciu, was used to pay the rent for the properties and these accounts did not contain any profits. When he was arrested in November 2023 and his home was searched, a total of €11,000 in cash was seized. When asked by Judge Nolan if gardaí had established what profits Ciuciu made from the enterprise, Det Gda Grogan said in his experience, escorts would pay up to €1,000 a week per property. Investigations are continuing into the whereabouts of the profits Ciuciu would have made, the court heard. The court heard Ciuciu provided fake documents, including fake Romanian identity documents and fake employer references to rent out the properties, which were the subject of the false instrument charges. Advertisement He and the escort who was posing as his partner provided employer references for a garage and a beauty salon. People in these businesses who were 'complicit' in the offending provided fake references when contacted, the court heard. No charges have been made in relation to these people to date. Ciuciu's accomplice, referred to in court as Ms N, has since fled the country, the court heard. Ireland Former hurler Niall Gilligan found not guilty of a... Read More In his plea of mitigation, Michael Lynn SC, defending, said Ciuciu, who has lived in Ireland for a number of years, has been in custody since his arrest. His wife and three young children have had difficulties as a result, the court heard. Ciuciu was described in court as a stateless person of Roma origin, who was born in Germany but whose family renounced that citizenship. He has been residing in Ireland legally on the basis that he has a stateless application before the authorities, defence counsel said. He is extremely concerned about his future residence as a consequence of these convictions, Mr Lynn said. Letters of apology from Ciuciu and his wife were handed into court. The court heard he has experienced racism and discrimination and struggled to find work as a result. He is doing well in custody and has engaged in educational courses.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (32) to be sentenced later for organising prostitution and brothel keeping
A man who organised prostitution across Dublin leased out eight properties to be used as brothels, money laundering about €320,000 in the process, a court has heard. Stelian Ciuciu (32) posed as part of a couple with another woman who was working as an escort to rent properties from unsuspecting landlords, which he then advertised to escorts for their use, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard on Tuesday. Advertisement Ciuciu used a WhatsApp group containing about 450 members to advertise the properties to escorts and was heavily engaged in the day-to-day upkeep of the premises, as well as regularly advising the escorts to maintain discretion and not draw attention to themselves, Detective Garda Colm Grogan of the Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit said. Ciuciu, of Brookdale Walk, Swords, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to 20 counts, including enhancing the ability of a criminal organisation, organising prostitution, brothel-keeping, using false instruments and money laundering. The offences took place in various locations within the state on dates between January 2020 and November 2023. The most serious of these offences – enhancing the ability of a criminal organisation – carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, while the remaining offences carry maximum terms of between five and 14 years, the court heard. Ciuciu has no previous convictions. Advertisement Det Gda Grogan told Mark Lynam SC, prosecuting, that Ciuciu's offences came to light when some landlords came forward with suspicions about what their rented properties were being used for. Gardaí noticed that similar rental documents with Ciuciu's photo but different names had been used to rent out the properties, and Ciuciu was identified and followed. Gardaí followed him to a number of properties that were being used as brothels and some banks where he was lodging cash. When gardaí entered the premises and carried out welfare checks, they found prostitution was taking place in each property, with two or more escorts working there, the court heard. A total of €320,000 was found to be going through Ciuciu's accounts. Det Gda Grogan said this money, which was mostly lodged in cash by Ciuciu, was used to pay the rent for the properties, and these accounts did not contain any profits. When he was arrested in November 2023 and his home was searched, a total of €11,000 in cash was seized. Advertisement When asked by Judge Martin Nolan if gardaí had established what profits Ciuciu made from the enterprise, Det Gda Grogan said in his experience, escorts would pay up to €1,000 a week per property. Investigations are continuing into the whereabouts of the profits Ciuciu would have made, the court heard. The court heard Ciuciu provided fake documents, including fake Romanian identity documents and fake employer references, to rent out the properties, which were the subject of the false instrument charges. He and the escort, who was posing as his partner, provided employer references for a garage and a beauty salon. People in these businesses who were 'complicit' in the offending provided fake references when contacted, the court heard. No charges have been made in relation to these people to date. Ciuciu's accomplice, referred to in court as Ms N, has since fled the country, the court heard. Advertisement In his plea of mitigation, Michael Lynn SC, defending, said Ciuciu, who has lived in Ireland for a number of years, has been in custody since his arrest. His wife and three young children have had difficulties as a result, the court heard. Ireland Man (24) who fatally stabbed sister's partner foun... Read More Ciuciu was described in court as a stateless person of Roma origin, who was born in Germany but whose family renounced that citizenship. He has been residing in Ireland legally on the basis that he has a stateless application before the authorities, defence counsel said. He is extremely concerned about his future residence as a consequence of these convictions, Mr Lynn said. Letters of apology from Ciuciu and his wife were handed into court. The court heard he has experienced racism and discrimination and struggled to find work as a result. He is doing well in custody and has engaged in educational courses. Judge Nolan adjourned the case to Wednesday and said he would finalise the matter then.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Women on Pensacola streets are trafficked every day. It's difficult to prove and stop.
Lisha Banks has been living off and on the streets for years, camping in the woods, along rail lines, or wherever the 59-year-old can find a quiet place to be. There's no such thing as a 'safe' place to live for most women on the street. They are disproportionately vulnerable to violence, including sexual violence from people they know and others they don't. In fact, escaping violence can be the reason why some women, like Lisha, end up homeless. 'It's hard. If you're not tough bad things happen. They get raped all the time,' Banks said. 'When I was at Beggs Lane, I had a 28-year-old try to rape me. Thank God a friend came by and got his attention and I could get out of there. You have to keep one eye open and whatever weapons you can have, and still that's not going to do any good if you got 10 guys coming on you, especially the older women.' To survive, she has learned several ways to cope including putting up barbed wire around her tent or creating booby traps like digging holes and covering them with old carpet. Banks said protecting yourself is somewhat easier when you're sober, but for people who are in addiction it's hard to hide from sexual exploitation. It's a scenario she says she has seen play out time and again. 'I have sat and watched young girls go into prostitution and all this other stuff because they had nowhere to go,' Banks said. 'They ran away from home or when their parents were like, 'You do drugs,' and kicked them out. You don't trust anybody because the ones you trust, they're the ones who will get you. It is really hard, and if you're not a strong woman, you're not going to make it out here.' Homelessness, sexual exploitation 'go hand in hand' Service agencies who work with women coming out of homelessness say addiction can lead to a vicious cycle. Some girls and women end up on the street because of substance abuse, while others become homeless for other reasons, but turn to drugs and alcohol to 'survive' their situation. Either way they are vulnerable to predators who manipulate and use them for their own benefit. Low barrier shelters can help: Fighting for a place to stay: Offentsive wants to move women's camp to lot in Pensacola Addiction and homeless outreach group Offentsive has been working with women to help them transition out of homelessness. Offentsive President Brad Bishop says the women they see often turn to what's called 'survival sex,' where unsheltered women trade sex for a place to stay. 'That leads to trafficking out on the streets,' Bishop said. 'There's also a lot of stigma around it. It's like they're making a choice, but if they had enough money, they wouldn't have done that, though. If they had literally anything else to offer, they would. It's just having to be in a situation where you have nothing and that's all you have to offer. They're just extremely vulnerable.' Ministry Village at Olive operates Charis House, a residential, faith-based, substance abuse recovery program for women. Administrators and counselors who work with street survivors say what they experience is akin to human trafficking. Getting home: Program helping homeless return home hits 100th milestone in first year. Will it continue? Although these girls and women aren't kidnapped and sold into slavery for sex or labor as is commonly depicted in Hollywood movies and news reports, they are also used, abused, threatened and forced into having sex with others to benefit their 'handler.' Most of the time that person using them is someone they know, and the women are so far down on themselves or addicted they don't know how to escape, service providers say. Outreach workers in both organizations believe 100% of the women they serve have been exploited or trafficked in some way. 'It seems as if addiction and human sex trafficking is really going hand in hand,' said Nicole Dibono, intake recovery director of Ministry Village at Olive. 'It's one or the other, or sometimes both. Sometimes these women, after hearing their stories, they have been exposed to substances and after being exposed, they become addicted and then that's used as a tool to traffic them. Sometimes they are involved in human trafficking and they're using drugs to cope and numb themselves because of what they're doing.' Dibono says many of the girls and women have been 'groomed' into believing they are prostitutes, and they are choosing to sell themselves for drugs. She said it's hard for them to come to terms that someone they know or love, who is essentially a 'pimp,' has manipulated them and their addiction to make money off them or some other gain. What is human trafficking? Ministry Village Executive Director Drayton Smith said it's not the kind of human trafficking most people may picture, like '100 people in the back of a Conex box and shipped to a foreign country,' but it's exploitation just the same. But because police say it doesn't meet the legal definition of human trafficking, there isn't much data on the problem and that can make it hard for service providers to access funding and programs that would help victims and survivors get the specialized counseling and care they often need. Helping victims: Human trafficking is 'hidden in plain sight,' and it's closer than you might think Tracking data not only helps identify and document ongoing issues and needs in the community, but it also raises awareness about an issue, which can lead to more resources to address it. Smith says both the data and resources to address it are sorely lacking. 'If you reach out to any law enforcement agency or anyone that deals with these things on a regular basis, the data is so unclear because they're going to tell you it's a lot easier to do a drug charge or a gun charge than it is to do a trafficking charge, because it's so hard to prove,' Smith said. 'Understanding the data and getting that data is the largest concern that I think right now we face.' Col. David Ingram with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office is also an executive board member for the Circuit 1 Human Trafficking Task Force. He says there have been four cases so far this year that are classified as trafficking cases, and while they had connections to Northwest Florida, none of them were in our jurisdiction. He says the primary focus of the Task Force is to prevent people who are vulnerable, like children and teenagers, from falling into the hands of predators through internet exploitation, a common and growing threat. Task Force aims for prevention: Area launches human trafficking task force When it comes to investigating sex trafficking of unsheltered women, he said victims often don't report the crimes and when it is reported, proving they were trafficked is difficult because of their circumstances. Ingram says they base human trafficking charges on the same legal definition outlined in state statutes, which requires 'force, fraud or coercion.' 'We look at, 'What we can actually charge?'" Ingram said. 'If we have a person that we think might be taking part in human trafficking, we may charge them with something other than that, because that's what we can charge them with. Like prostitution. We can charge somebody with prostitution, which that takes a lot of work because you've got to go undercover and additional manpower hours to do that, but I can charge that person with prostitution and get her out of that situation.' Breaking the cycle of addiction and abuse Ingram says another priority of the Task Force is to connect victims and agencies that work with them with the appropriate service providers, like Magdalene's. Magdalene's is a Pensacola-based, not-for-profit organization that fights human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women through education, awareness and survivor support. Angie Ishee is the executive director and says one of the biggest issues facing survivors of sexual exploitation is helping them find work once they're back on their feet. Putting brakes on trafficking: Magdalene's Inc. combating sex trafficking by giving victims a place to call home She says the community usually does a good job providing for their immediate needs like food and shelter once someone is ready to get off the street and away from their handler, but they carry the 'stigma' of their previous life, especially if they have a criminal record. Ishee says education and a steady job can go a long way to helping people think better of themselves, as well as support themselves, but they need support to pursue those opportunities. 'The stigma associated with addiction, homelessness and the sexual exploitation makes it hard,' Ishee said. 'These people are somebody's daughter, they're somebody's mom, they're sometimes somebody's wife, a grandmother. They need job readiness skills to just help them understand that they are lovable and worthy and can function in a sustainable way.' Breaking the cycle is the goal and service providers say the resources needed to do it include addiction treatment, specialized counseling, education and jobs. Success benefits the individual as well as the community because it reduces crime and other expenses related to being unsheltered. Experts say homelessness can cost a community about $30,000 a year for just one person. 'We break the cycle for future generations when we help people,' Ishee said. 'I know of a survivor of sex trafficking, whose mom and grandmother were in what's called the life of trafficking, so it was just expected that she would be also. The fact that she broke free and got the help she needed and had hope, it's a great benefit to our community when somebody breaks that cycle.' Lisha Banks wants off the streets, too, and is working to that end. She said most people she knows living that way didn't intend to end up that way. 'I've had a house with a fence and two kids and dogs and cars and all that good stuff,' Banks said. 'Then things just happened, and it happened too fast. I don't understand why some people are like, 'Damn the people out here that have mental issues or addictions.'' This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Women on Pensacola streets trafficked daily, proving it, stopping it is difficult Solve the daily Crossword
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Indonesia's Nusantara dream becomes a vice-ridden nightmare
Indonesia 's dream of a gleaming new capital in the Bornean jungle is fast becoming mired in vice, ambivalence and growing doubts about its future under President Prabowo Subianto Once touted as a 'smart forest city', the US$28.5 billion legacy project of former president Joko Widodo has instead emerged as a magnet for prostitution, gambling dens and mounting scepticism. Local officials and lawmakers warn that illicit activities have flourished, while the city's governing authority scrambles to play down the scale of the problem – even as the project's future appears increasingly precarious. 'For the past few days, the media has been filled with unpleasant news, including news related to prostitutes … or commercial sex workers,' lawmaker Muhammad Khozin said during a parliamentary hearing on July 8 with the Nusantara Authority, adding that this could cause anxiety for 'the wives of civil servants' based in the city. Then president Joko Widodo (centre) and other officials inspect progress on Nusantara in June 2024. Photo: Indonesian Presidential Palace / AFP 'Even though they [the officials] have a lot of money and high positions, if they have problems with their wives, their [freedom] in the world would be narrowed,' he said.
