Legal Commentary

Another NY AG Takes On Prostitution (And This Time, Craigslist)

By TChris

You will be shocked -- shocked, I tell you -- to learn that there are prostitutes in New York City. Perhaps as many as sixteen.

New York's crusading Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, used the indictment of seven people who allegedly operated a prostitution ring in Queens as an opportunity to grandstand against the villainous Craigslist, which until recently hosted an "erotic services" category. Cuomo purports to be outraged that the prostitution ring used Craigslist as its exclusive advertising outlet.

Mr. Cuomo’s statement said, “Until Craigslist gets serious about putting real protections in place, it will continue to be an environment where criminal operations thrive with impunity.”

Right. As opposed to the Yellow Pages, the "adult" classified section of The Village Voice, and a plethora of websites. Even About.com offers a helpful guide to NYC escorts. So why pick on Craigslist? [more ...]

Cuomo is apparently following the lead of South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, who threatened to charge Craigslist executives with aiding prostitution by providing a forum for sex workers to advertise their services. McMaster, like Cuomo, ginned up considerable self-serving publicity while failing to mention that Craigslist had already announced that it was replacing the "erotic services" category with an "adult services" category that would be screened to weed out advertising for prostitution.

The reason [for that omission]? McMaster doesn't care about Craigslist. But he does care about becoming the governor of South Carolina, and Craigslist is an easy target. He needs the press to see him taking a tough stance on crime, and a faraway but high profile startup is his meal ticket.

Let's not forget that another crusading New York Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, made headlines in 2004 by "taking down" prostitution rings. Four years later, news of his own involvement with high end hookers caused him to resign as the state's governor. (New York City's escort services were in great demand in 2004, the year that New York City hosted the Republican National Convention.)

All of this political blustering by the state "top cops" is for naught as federal legislation probably shields Craigslist from state prosecution for content posted by third parties. Cuomo's pointless moralizing -- the fuss he's making about a handful of prostitutes and one advertising venue that's already cleaned up its act -- might further his political career, but his misplaced priorities won't improve the quality of life for NYC residents. He's simply wasting resources that could be better spent on more productive prosecutions.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 21, 2009 (boomark / email).