The recent raid of a Wilton Connecticut massage parlor and arrests in Stamford, Greenwich and Danbury for Patronizing Prostitution under CGS 53a-83 and Prostitution under CGS 53a-82 remind us that Connecticut massage parlors are prime targets for Connecticut police prostitution stings. But are the “Johns” and customers of Westport, Wilton and Stamford Connecticut massage parlors really at risk of getting arrested? And if your name is found in credit card records, customer lists or phone records of these massage parlors, can you get arrested in Stamford or Greenwich Connecticut for Patronizing Prostitution under 53a-83?
Possibly—keep reading to learn more…
The best Stamford Connecticut criminal lawyers and best Danbury Connecticut criminal attorneys have seen many raids on Stamford, Danbury, and Darien Connecticut massage parlors over the years.
But what many people are asking experienced Stamford Connecticut criminal lawyers is whether cops are really going after the operators and employees of these massage parlors, or are they targeting the Johns and customers? Now I’ve spoken to several police officers who have been involved in these raids and some veteran officers tell me that they generally do not like to arrest the “Johns” or massage parlor customers who happen to be inside the massage parlors at the time of a Connecticut prostitution sting raid. These officers are sensitive to how damaging and stigmatizing an arrest in Greenwich, Fairfield or Stamford for Patronizing Prostitution under CGS 53a-83 can be to a husband’s or father’s professional, personal and community reputations. But some Connecticut sex crimes prosecutors feel that if they put pressure on Johns and massage parlor customers, then it will deter them from patronizing these massage parlors, and in turn, these “massage” operations will either go out of business or stop engaging in illegal activity. Critics of this tactic say it just drives these operations further underground, and moreover, the government should not be able to control what a woman or man does with her own body, so long as the participants are consenting adults.
Top Stamford Connecticut criminal lawyers get this question all the time. The short answer is no, but the police certainly can come question you and possibly get a search warrant of your home, business, text messages, or email accounts if they find your credit card information, cell phone number, or name and address in a massage parlor black book or customer list. Unless the police catch you in the act of soliciting or engaging in prostitution, you will likely not be arrested, no matter what the employees of the massage parlor tell police. However, if the police begin looking through your text messages or emails and see that you are offering or negotiating money amounts in exchange for sex, then you can be arrested in Stamford or Greenwich Connecticut for Patronizing Prostitution (or Attempt) in violation of CGS 53a-83. For more information on Prostitution arrests in Connecticut, click here.
As the best Darien Connecticut criminal lawyers will tell you, police are not just targeting massage parlors in their sex sting operations. Connecticut sex crimes detectives are aggressively scouring websites like Craigslist.com, SeekingArrangements.com, and Sugardaddy.com to weed out illegal escort activity. If you pay or offer to pay an escort for sexual contact, then you are committing a crime. Remember that all of your emails and information posted through these websites are not confidential. They can be subpoenaed by police and if Stamford police find evidence of soliciting prostitution, then you can be arrested in Stamford, New Canaan or Wilton Connecticut for Patronizing Prostitution under CGS 53a-83.
Finally, if your arrest in Stamford, Greenwich or Darien for Patronizing Prostitution under CGS 53a-83 has been published in an online police blotter, then you can appreciate the damage it can continue to do to your reputation. As one of Connecticut’s legal leaders in the fight against media companies who continue to publish online arrest reports—even after your Connecticut Patronizing Prostitution arrest case has been dismissed—the Mark Sherman law firm has been able to assist our clients is getting their arrest offline of off search engines so they can be free of the stigma of their now-erased arrest. Click here to learn more about how the Mark Sherman Law Firm can help you remove your arrest from online police blotters and media websites.
So if you have been arrested in Connecticut for Patronizing Prostitution, or are worried that you will be, feel free to contact a Stamford Connecticut criminal attorney at the Mark Sherman Law Firm today. It is worth some piece of mind to sit for quick consultation and learn more about the dangers of patronizing massage parlors. Call us today at (203) 358-4700.
