The trigger for Euphoria's takedown appears to be violent clients.
I’m a Torontonian who doesn’t speak French and has never paid for sex in Montreal, so my knowledge of these cases comes only from the articles from La Presse and Radio-Canada articles that Haggy64 provides links for. (Thank you Haggy64.) I had Google translate them for me. I had already known about the La Presse piece about XO, which (in my opinion) is journalistic garbage — not a word of it should be believed. I’m sad to see that some of you on this thread seem to be taking that La Presse article seriously, as if it contains true information. I wrote a long debunking of it back in March:
That La Presse article doesn’t mention Euphoria. Portishead’s statement that "The trigger for Euphoria's takedown appears to be violent clients” seems to come from the Radio-Canada article by Romain Schué and Michael Deetjens. They clearly wanted readers to
infer that Euphoria had violent clients. Their article about Euphoria
does contain a section about violence. But Schué and Deetjens deal in typical journalistic deception. Below (in italics) is the relevant section. I’ll return after the italics to analyze it.
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Choking, hanging, forced penetration, physical violence, humiliation: several escorts told Radio-Canada they had been subjected to reprehensible, non-consensual acts while working for various agencies—particularly when clients demanded so-called "extras."
"It’s horrible and disgusting, the things you hear," admits Léa, an escort in her twenties, her voice tight with emotion.
"Clients think they can do whatever they want and say, 'I’m paying, so she has to give me what I want.'"
Quote from Léa (a pseudonym for an escort)
"I want you to imagine the most extreme perversion you can think of. I can confirm that we’ve seen it," asserts Commander Martineau.
"There is absolutely violence in agencies—coercion, pressure to perform acts the girls don’t want to do," states Alexia, an active escort. "Girls sometimes have to see 10 clients a day. Even five clients a day is way too many," she adds, though she notes that "some women do like working for agencies."
"Agencies often let bad clients come back; they’re known for spending a lot of money, and those clients have power."
Quote from Alexia (a pseudonym for an escort)
Sitting behind the wheel of his Bronco, James tries to be reassuring. "If there’s a problem," he tells Cassandre, "you call the booker." Otherwise, he explains, the building’s security guard "knows there’s an agency here." "Call him if anything comes up.”
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(I’ll include the google-translation of the whole article at the end of this post so that those of you who’d like to place the above in context can do so.)
That section of the article was titled “Violence: Downplayed but Real”. A more accurate title would be “Violence: Infrequent but Real”.
The thing is, none of the quoted escorts in that section are identified as Euphoria or ex-Euphoria escorts. Schué and Deetjens could not find a single sex worker who reported encountering violence while working for the agency. They did find two Euphoria ex-escorts who were willing to speak on the record, Justine and Anne. (Schué and Deetjens make it clear that Anne is no longer an escort. I’m guessing that Justine was not working for Euphoria when she was interviewed.) Justine says something negative about the man who owns Euphoria, but neither she nor Anne report any violence.
So
who is quoted in this section about violence? An escort named Lea. She says: "It’s horrible and disgusting, the things you hear”. The things
you hear. In other words, she’s never encountered violence herself, but she’s
heard that some escorts do sometimes. But
not any escorts
from Euphoria. (I’m not doubting Lea. I’m sure she has heard some horrible and disgusting stories.)
An “active escort” named Alexia is also quoted — she says: "There is absolutely violence in agencies”. She then goes on to specify what she means by violence: “… coercion, pressure to perform acts the girls don’t want to do…. Girls sometimes have to see 10 clients a day. Even five clients a day is way too many”. Being pressured to perform acts one that doesn’t want to perform is not nice, but does it qualify as violence? And yeah, ten clients a day is definitely too many, but are the escorts in question being forced to see ten clients or do they "have to” for their own financial reasons? For me to believe that that an agency owner is actually
forcing an escort to see ten clients a day, I’d want to see that in quotes, and preferably from the escort herself, not from some escort who heard about this from a friend-of-a-friend.
And note that Alexia is not speaking about Euphoria specifically but about some unnamed agencies. If Alexia had named Euphoria as one of those agencies, that would be in the article. There is no reason to believe that Euphoria was forcing anyone to see ten clients per day — or coercing them to perform acts not specified in paragraph eight of the article. (Indeed, there would be no incentive for Euphoria management to do so because, as the article makes clear, Euphoria did not take a cut of the money that their escorts made from “extras”. Remember, at the bottom of this post, the whole English translation of the article is reproduced.)
No other escorts are quoted in that section about violence, but a cop is. He says: "I want you to imagine the most extreme perversion you can think of. I can confirm that we’ve seen it”. That’s a lie — he’s a cop. He wouldn’t have been present for those acts of “extreme perversion” — he would not have
seen them. And note how he phrases that: not “I have seen it”, but “
we have seen it”. He’s talking about stories he’s heard second-hand from fellow cops. How many stories of “extreme perversion” has
he personally heard from the mouths of sex-workers? Based on the way he’s constructed his statement, the number could be
zero. He might be talking about a handful of cases that happened over the course of decades. This is hardly proof that the clients of Montreal escorts are a particularly violent bunch, let alone the clients of Euphoria (which he doesn’t mention, although Schué or Deetjens must have asked him about Euphoria).
That section about violence starts off with a list: "Choking, hanging, forced penetration, physical violence, humiliation: several escorts told Radio-Canada they had been subjected to reprehensible, non-consensual acts”. I don’t doubt that
some escorts do encounter stuff like that. Although, I do find myself wondering, what is meant by “hanging”? Is this some form of bondage? That can’t be a common problem for escorts. But that prompts the question, how common is
any of this? The sex-worker who I see regularly worked as an independent escort for several years and tells me that she never had a violent client. (She found some of them unpleasant, but that’s a different matter.)
This article is ostensibly about a particular agency, Euphoria. I’m not saying that there was never a client who was violent with an escort from Euphoria, but the bottom line is, Schué and Deetjens failed to tie Euphoria to any sort of violence. Maybe Euphoria had a great screening system — I think it’s just more likely that violence isn’t as common for the average escort as outsiders assume it is. Schué and Deetjens let that assumption do the work for them. They knew that if they wrote some stuff about violence in this article about Euphoria, readers would conflate violence with Euphoria.
Schué and Deetjens are scum. I’m sure that they accurately quoted their sources, but they framed things to imply a lie.
Having gone into this much depth, I might as well address the other negative part of the article:
Despite this seemingly benign image, "James takes advantage of young women, and we had to hand over the money by putting it in a drawer in the apartment," says Justine*—a pseudonym for an escort recruited by Euphoria a few years ago. "It’s about power dynamics. All pimps have a need for control.”
Justine claims that James Toth (the owner of Euphoria) “takes advantage of young women”. How? That’s not specified. My guess is the obvious: he makes money from them. If anything more were meant, it would have been made clear.
Justine says that “It’s about power dynamics. All pimps have a need for control.” In her interview with Schué and Deetjens, did Justine explain what she meant by that? How did Toth exercise his power and control the escorts? Schué and Deetjens must have asked, but apparently the answer wasn’t nefarious enough to quote.
In the above post, I’m
only analyzing what was in the Radio-Canada article. If any of you have reason to believe that Euphoria’s screening system was bad and that escorts who worked there were more at risk of violence than other escorts are, please don’t hesitate to correct me.
By the way, according to a post on MERB by someone going by the handle 2fast2slow, Euphoria "have
not been shut down by the police, they voluntarily shut down after the media report.” I’m assuming the media report is the Radio-Canada article. So it appears that Haggy64 got that wrong.
The rest of this post is the English translation of the whole Schué and Deetjens Radio-Canada article that Google provided me with. (Enquête seems to be an investigative division of Radio-Canada.)
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"How many clients do you want a day?": Going undercover in the world of escorts
Enquête went undercover at one of Montreal’s major high-end escort agencies. It was an unprecedented look into a typically opaque industry that prioritizes discretion—despite the violence many escorts endure.
Romain Schué
Michael Deetjens
October 8, 2026
"You don't deal with the client at all." Vaping, the boss of the Euphoria agency doesn't mince words when explaining what to expect. "You show up on time. You make your calls. You leave the money at the end," he says calmly between puffs, the window of his Ford Bronco rolled down.
The man calling himself James thinks he is speaking to a young student named Cassandre—who has just come of age—and is considering working as an escort. "How many clients do you want a day?" asks the English speaker, using nearly flawless French. At his agency, he continues bluntly, the rule is "a minimum of three clients."
He doesn't realize it, but he is actually speaking to a Radio-Canada staff member equipped with a hidden camera, whom he has invited into the passenger seat of his SUV.
"See that entrance there, at number 950? We have nine apartments," he says, pointing to a modern building across from a parking lot in Montreal’s downtown Griffintown neighborhood. "That’s why I wanted to meet you here. We have another one just two blocks west."
Unknowingly, James offers us unprecedented access to the world of escorts—a realm usually shrouded in deep secrecy. He speaks candidly about the operations of his prostitution agency, which has been "open since 2015," even though Canadian law prohibits pimping and the purchase of sexual services.
"We charge clients 280 (dollars) and the girls keep 200," he explains. His cut? "You put the money in an envelope in the room, hide it, and send a photo."
"There are envelopes in the room; you write your name and the amount, then hide it. At the end (of the day), someone comes around and collects from all the rooms."
A quote from James, the boss of the Euphoria agency.
For that price, he reveals, the girls must provide a basic service known as the "GFE" (Girlfriend Experience). This practice, well-known in the industry, always includes "penetration with a condom," unprotected oral sex, and kissing with the client, who "can eat you out," he specifies. "It’s included in the price. And if there are extras, you can charge for them, and that money is yours."
Throughout the conversation, which lasts nearly an hour, James aims to be reassuring. His scheme is simple, he explains to Cassandre: escort ads are posted online "every day," and interested clients contact a "booker"—via a generic phone number—who handles logistics and appointments.
"You don't have to deal with any of that," insists the 49-year-old man, a prominent figure in Montreal’s escort scene.
"We vet (every client).”
His real name is James Toth. Aside from a few traffic-related offenses, he has never faced legal trouble and did not respond to requests for comment from Radio-Canada.
His stated occupation varies depending on the documents we reviewed; he sometimes describes himself as a "graphic designer," "accountant," "trainer," or even a "recruiter," rather than the boss of one of Montreal’s best-known escort networks.
James is, in fact, very hands-on in managing his agency. He posts daily ads highlighting his employees' availability on a popular online forum for clients, who do not hesitate to rate the escorts' performance during intimate encounters.
His name also frequently appears on various platforms used by foreigners visiting Quebec for sex tourism.
"We have a lot of regulars. People tell their friends... After 10 or 11 years, we’ve built a pretty busy agency."
— A quote from James, the owner of the Euphoria agency
Despite this seemingly benign image, "James takes advantage of young women, and we had to hand over the money by putting it in a drawer in the apartment," says Justine*—a pseudonym for an escort recruited by Euphoria a few years ago. "It’s about power dynamics. All pimps have a need for control.”
"He even keeps a file with clients' names and numbers," says Anne, a former escort who also worked with Euphoria.
"We verify every phone number, every new (client)," confirms the agency boss during the undercover investigation conducted by *Enquête*. "We keep notes on all clients," he adds, advising Cassandre to pass "all (her) comments on (to) the booker."
Businessmen, doctors, lawyers, and "celebrities"
But who are the clients of these agencies that have proliferated in Montreal in recent years? "Businessmen, tourists," James answers Cassandre matter-of-factly.
To gain insight into the inner workings of this opaque industry, we spoke with about twenty escorts or former sex workers who had worked for various agencies. They requested anonymity for safety reasons.
Prostitution: what is prohibited
Since 2014, new provisions regarding prostitution have been in effect under Canadian law. Individuals who sell their own sexual services now have immunity. However, under the Criminal Code, procuring (pimping) is prohibited, as are:
• Purchasing sexual services;
• Advertising the sexual services of a third party;
• Benefiting materially from the provision of sexual services by a third party.
Our findings indicate that these networks, which promote so-called "luxury" prostitution, primarily target a wealthy clientele. "You pay a premium for discretion," sums up a former booking agent.
"I only had wealthy clients—men who wanted to be sugar daddies," recounts Justine, looking sad as she sits on a bench in a Montreal park. "They could be professors, lawyers, doctors, or nurses. If they have money, that’s all that matters," notes Anne.
During our investigation, we also heard the names of prominent figures in Quebec’s cultural scene who are known to spend large sums on sexual services.
"I’ve had clients who are on TV—actual celebrities."
Quote from Anne, a former escort
"I’ve heard from victims who said their clients included police officers, judges, and business executives," notes Commander Frédéric Martineau, head of the sexual exploitation unit at the SPVM (Montreal police).
His team is focusing on the proliferation of these websites and this "2.0 model" of prostitution, which allows "lazy pimps to place their victims with agencies," explains Martineau.
"The landscape is changing, whether in terms of recruitment or the commodification of sexual services. It has evolved into a 2.0 model."
Quote from Frédéric Martineau, head of the sexual exploitation unit at the SPVM
"Street prostitution has all but disappeared. Everything happens online now, through specialized sites for selling sexual services," he adds. "But the horror stories are never talked about," notes Commander Martineau. "The aesthetic of these sites suggests something luxurious. Yet, in the end, these people find themselves exploited and subjected to sexual abuse. But that is the dark side that goes unspoken.”
Violence: Downplayed but Real
Choking, hanging, forced penetration, physical violence, humiliation: several escorts told Radio-Canada they had been subjected to reprehensible, non-consensual acts while working for various agencies—particularly when clients demanded so-called "extras."
"It’s horrible and disgusting, the things you hear," admits Léa, an escort in her twenties, her voice tight with emotion.
"Clients think they can do whatever they want and say, 'I’m paying, so she has to give me what I want.'"
Quote from Léa (a pseudonym for an escort)
"I want you to imagine the most extreme perversion you can think of. I can confirm that we’ve seen it," asserts Commander Martineau.
"There is absolutely violence in agencies—coercion, pressure to perform acts the girls don’t want to do," states Alexia, an active escort. "Girls sometimes have to see 10 clients a day. Even five clients a day is way too many," she adds, though she notes that "some women do like working for agencies."
"Agencies often let bad clients come back; they’re known for spending a lot of money, and those clients have power."
Quote from Alexia (a pseudonym for an escort)
Sitting behind the wheel of his Bronco, James tries to be reassuring. "If there’s a problem," he tells Cassandre, "you call the booker." Otherwise, he explains, the building’s security guard "knows there’s an agency here." "Call him if anything comes up.”
"Police officers as clients"
Last winter, the SPVM dismantled the XO agency, one of Euphoria’s competitors. According to court documents, the agency allegedly hired a minor, and drugs were also exchanged between clients and escorts.
The ringleader of XO and several associates were arrested and charged with offenses related to procuring. Despite these legal proceedings, Radio-Canada learned that one of XO’s bookers quietly opened a new escort agency, which is once again fully operational in downtown Montreal.
Do these agencies fear law enforcement? We put the question to James Toth, the owner of Euphoria, via text message, just after he had followed up with the Enquête reporter to see if she finally wanted to work for him.
"Not at all," he replied instantly. "A few times, girls have told me they had a client who works as a police officer," he stated in the text exchange. "If we stay legit and follow the rules, they leave us alone."
"The police don't want to shut down the agencies. If they did, the girls wouldn't stop working, and it would be more dangerous for them—dealing with bad clients and street-gang pimps."
— Quote from James, the owner of Euphoria, in a text message
We presented these comments to the SPVM. Commander Martineau acknowledged that these activities are illegal but noted that "priorities must be set."
"We have open investigations," he warned, "but we prioritize cases involving victims and urgent situations. However, the police have a long memory."
*The names of the escorts mentioned in this report have been changed to protect their identities.
In collaboration with Pier-Luc Latulippe
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www.google.com
ici.radio-canada.ca
