Interesting:
http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/st...ff/story/0001/20040322/1738863284.htm&sc=1110
Travel Agencies Indicted for 'Sex Tours'
By MICHAEL GORMLEY
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Two operators of a New York travel agency have been indicted for organizing ``sex tours'' to Southeast Asia, the first such case involving a United States-based company, the state attorney general said Monday.
Douglas Allen, 59, and Norman Barabash, 58, were charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of promoting prostitution in their operation of Big Apple Oriental Tours, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said.
Spitzer accused the men of using the business to solicit customers for prostitution rings operating in the Philippines and Thailand.
These defendants claimed to be operating a traditional travel agency. It is far from that,'' Spitzer said. He said the travel agency's actions led to the systematic exploitation and suppression of young women.''
Allen and Barabash pleaded innocent to the charges on Feb. 27. If convicted, they could face up to seven years in prison.
Barabash's lawyer, Daniel A. Hochheiser, said the case is weak and the indictment is politically motivated.
At the end of the day, the allegations in the indictment will be exposed as the product of a politician seeking higher office, a prosecution witness who gets paid to deceive people for a living and a private-interest group with an agenda,'' Hochheiser said.
Charges were brought following an undercover investigation by the Statewide Organized Crime Task Force.
According to a separate civil lawsuit brought by Spitzer in 2003, Big Apple Oriental Tours conducted an aggressive marketing campaign that included videos, a Web site, brochures and customer testimonials.
A brochure promised ``unforgettable adventure vacations for single men to paradise,'' according to Paul Larrabee, a spokesman for Spitzer.
Investigators reported the agency arranged business trips for clients to the Philippines and Thailand, where they were introduced to guides who led them to night clubs. There, fees were negotiated for sexual acts. The trips cost about $2,500 for seven to 10 days.
No listing could be found for the travel agency. The company was run from Allen's Poughkeepsie home and Barabash's home in the New York City borough of Queens, Spitzer said.
03/22/04 17:38
© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/st...ff/story/0001/20040322/1738863284.htm&sc=1110
Travel Agencies Indicted for 'Sex Tours'
By MICHAEL GORMLEY
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Two operators of a New York travel agency have been indicted for organizing ``sex tours'' to Southeast Asia, the first such case involving a United States-based company, the state attorney general said Monday.
Douglas Allen, 59, and Norman Barabash, 58, were charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of promoting prostitution in their operation of Big Apple Oriental Tours, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said.
Spitzer accused the men of using the business to solicit customers for prostitution rings operating in the Philippines and Thailand.
These defendants claimed to be operating a traditional travel agency. It is far from that,'' Spitzer said. He said the travel agency's actions led to the systematic exploitation and suppression of young women.''
Allen and Barabash pleaded innocent to the charges on Feb. 27. If convicted, they could face up to seven years in prison.
Barabash's lawyer, Daniel A. Hochheiser, said the case is weak and the indictment is politically motivated.
At the end of the day, the allegations in the indictment will be exposed as the product of a politician seeking higher office, a prosecution witness who gets paid to deceive people for a living and a private-interest group with an agenda,'' Hochheiser said.
Charges were brought following an undercover investigation by the Statewide Organized Crime Task Force.
According to a separate civil lawsuit brought by Spitzer in 2003, Big Apple Oriental Tours conducted an aggressive marketing campaign that included videos, a Web site, brochures and customer testimonials.
A brochure promised ``unforgettable adventure vacations for single men to paradise,'' according to Paul Larrabee, a spokesman for Spitzer.
Investigators reported the agency arranged business trips for clients to the Philippines and Thailand, where they were introduced to guides who led them to night clubs. There, fees were negotiated for sexual acts. The trips cost about $2,500 for seven to 10 days.
No listing could be found for the travel agency. The company was run from Allen's Poughkeepsie home and Barabash's home in the New York City borough of Queens, Spitzer said.
03/22/04 17:38
© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
