Need help /raided and computers seized
 

wednesday afternoon at 2pm in enfield ct
my home was raided by the local and state police . There were over 30 officers some in uniforms some in plain clothes that stormed into my home shouting we have a search warrant. They ordered us to sit down on the couch .
I was never shown a search warrant only told that i would see it when they finished checking for whatever it was they were looking for.
I did not open the door to let them in they entered on their own.
I asked to see the warrant and they refused to show me.
The town that i live in approved my home based internet adult business along with a studio that i shoot content and video for my sites. i have all my legal paper work as far as taxes 2257 and zoning ect.
When they did not find what they were looking for they decided to take my 4 computers cameras all my business files and both rooms of furniture that we use for our shoots . I have a bdsm fetish website that they have decided to investigate. they told me it was illegal to pratice sadomasochism because it was a sex act the same as intercourse.
they told me spanking and any type of this play was prostitution. They made no arrest nor did they ever leave the warrant or the itemized list of things they took.
It took them 5 hrs to go through my house and dismantel and pack all of the so called evidence into their new forensic van. My sites are still up and running
I have called the freespeach collision today in hopes that they could help me with an attorney for my adult based business. My sold source of income comes from my websites and videos that i sell and people in the fetish lifestyle who help in the expenses associated with adult industry.
I was also setup when they had a man show up at my door saying that he was here for his spanking and that he was to give me 250 for it..
imagine having to park your car in the front of a house thats being raided with 30 police cars a hugh forensic van parked in my driveway and cops outside inside and everywhere ..the cops watched as the guy got out of his car walked through all the officers holding money in his hand claiming that he was told he would get a spanking session with EmpressM AND that it was 250. Tell me what kind of fool would come to the door seeing all that action going on and say he was here on business.

It was a setup ..still dont know why they raided me took all my stuff and left .
how do i get it back anyone have any information i can use to help fight this.
Michelle
i have seen other people who own sites raided as well. if its possible to talk about how they got through it. or who the contacted to help ..thank you for listening ..if i posted in the wrong area sorry about that but i understand this board to be one of the best sources of information and help.

If things went down the way you say you have some serious law suites pending. Most of what you have said is illegal for them to do.

I would contact an attorney and or the ACLU and move forward. I doubt that you will get anything returned to you but you may get monetary relief.

In case you haven't been told this already, you should write down everything you can remember about this while it is still fresh in your mind. Take as many pictures as is safe to do and possible, write down everything that happens to you, with a note or estimate of the time, every name you can, every detail you can.

This will probably be worth it's weight in gold later, as these things take a while, and courts and lawyers are more responsive to notes and details.

If you can, keep us informed as things progress.

I've met cops who have no respect for the law and they make me sick.

Your story kinda puts me on edge because I also live in CT. Hold them accountable for every line they cross and make them pay -- Otherwise they will continue raiding who knows how many other webmasters.

I'm sure you're at your wit's end trying to sort out what to do, but as Bill said, write everything down. Try and get everything you can down on paper, including officer names and badge numbers, if you have them.

Although many of them are hostile towards sex workers and pornographers, I would try and get in touch with some lefty groups in your area. Many "left" organizations have dealt with government harassment and bullshit searches, so they may have some good civil rights resources for you that are region-specific. You could try posting an account of your raid on the Danbury IMC http://www.madhattersimc.org and see if you get any helpful replies.

Best of luck, please keep us posted, and let us know what your sites are so the bloggers can get to work talking about your situation and possibly helping with legal fundraising.

webwoman, I will give you exactly one tip: Get a lawyer. A chat board isn't going to be able to help you with the issue you got. If your story is true, I have a feeling that your local police / community / neighbors have gotten together to get rid of you. The guy showing up with the money is a nice capper and that will go over really well.

Get a lawyer. Get a lawyer. Get a lawyer. Get a lawyer.

All other advice here is a waste of your time, and any post you make could be used against you in the future. Put a ball gag in your mouth and let a laywer do the talking.

Alex

I will also say this: I had a look at your website, and I see you soliciting for "donations" or "tips" or whatever for sessions, running between $300 and $1000 - and using epassporte to get paid for it.

You truly need a lawyer, I have a feeling (that if this thread is true) that you are in some seriously deep shit, and you won't be able to spank and whip your way out of this one.

Alex

Gonna be hard to fight the prostition rap when you accept donations or tips for sexual services, whether it involves intercourse or not.

I have to say that I agree with Alex 100% on this. Get the lawyer and stop posting on the boards. Make sure the lawyer is experienced in adult Internet-based business law and has a solid reputation. I'm sure people could recommend quite a few here on the boards... the first that come to mind would be JD Obenberger (www.xxxlaw.net) and Larry Walters (www.firstamendment.com) - but I know there are loads of fantastic lawyers in our industry that have the experience and knowledge to help you out here.

THAT is the only advice you need now - getting a lawyer, getting one fast and getting a good one.

Good luck. |thumb

hey, Alex where did you get the URL for the site?? i want to take a look too.

If you've been taking donations or tips then this is not a place to get advice. Actually even if your weren't it's still not a place to get legal advice. People will send you off in the wrong direction without posting anything helpful.

Talk to a lawyer. If you want some referrals of individual lawyers then ask for such.

All that being said. I'd take Bill's advice and document everything in great detail. I mean great detail. Good documentation can save your ass.

I searched google for "EmpressM" and sort of followed along from there... I found her "personal" site no problem. I think epassporte people would flip if they knew what she was using her account for.

Alex

Let's not forget webmasters like me who are promoting the site & not getting a cut from the "donations"

Looks like she needs a lawyer for several reasons...

Thanx Alex, I found it. She will probably be in trouble for the "prostitution" stuff can't really fight that. It says right on the website she does it and names a price, pretty hard to get out of.

no offence but is it just me or does anyone else feel that sites like these hurt all of us

I feel that websites like these that sell illegal things like prostition
are exactly the type of sites that brings in goverment regulation

Tommy, sites like this do great harm to our business at the end of the day. They attempt to put acts that are likely illegal (including solicitation for prostituion, penetration with bondage, and the like) into the mainstream porn world, and when the shit hits the fan, they try to pull the cover of legal porn over themselves.

There are cam girls out there that, for a donation, will invite fans to do shows with them. I don't really see where this is different from prositution, but I guess they think they can cover themselves over with legal porn and think they are not doing anything wrong.

The enforcement officials are not that stupid.

Alex

Alex
I agree 100% with you, Very well said

At first glance, the site looks like a normal 'amateur' bdsm femdom site.

But, upon deeper examination, it does seem to be soliciting money for sex acts.

Which does look like they are definitely breaking the law.

There exists a pretty large illegal dominitrix prostitute business around the country, but mixing it with legal porn is fucked up.

In general, I'm not a big fan of police and prosecutors. And everybody running any type of small porn production business out of their home has good reason to fear them.

But, that's not a legitimate porn site.

I think it's ridiculous that prostitution is illegal and that a woman can't charge a man for having sex with her if she feels like it, but posting on an adult webmaster board after you get busted for prositition and comparing that to someone running an adult website is pretty lame.

Alex, yes well said!!

Wow, I did not post before but to me it seems clear. You deserved to be raided and you are not an adult webmaster. You are a prostitute selling your services via a web site online...not the same IMO.

I would truly be interested to see how many of her "models" actually signed model releases without being under duress.

*sigh*

Alex

Many of us have argued that the same goes for sites like Sleep Assault or Little April or Meat Holes. I guess it's easier to pick on someone who's not a major sponsor, though?

---

Anyhow, if EmpressM does come back, here's some additional advice from a fellow woman who's not going to lecture her about anything. If you are dealing with prostitution charges, an adult site lawyer may not be your best choice, or you may want to talk to two lawyers. Check out the California-based Sex Worker's Outreach Project, they should have some legal referrals for you: http://www.swop-usa.org/ $pread Magazine is a newer publication by and for all sorts of sex workers, they are based in NY and might have some regional referrals for you: http://www.spreadmagazine.org Hook Online is by and for men, but they are probably also worth contacting for legal counsel suggestions: http://www.hookonline.org Best of luck!

furrygirl, yes there are many sites out there that are not good for "us".

Misconceptions, rumors and slander
 

Though BDSM and Fetish are hard to understand let me try to provide you with these facts. I am a webmaster for Empressm.net. I work in conjunction with the videographer to produce and maintain the site. I can see how this can be misconstrued. If you are referring to her personal site fortressofpain.com, this site is not a part of our network of membership sites. As far as committing any crime, prostitution or otherwise, nobody was arrested or charged with any crime. As a matter of fact they were fully aware of our personal site which they paid no attention too. We are in a business district and the town zoning commission approved our business for use as an adult studio to shoot content for our adult websites. A lot of people who model for us also pay for classes using E-passport. We also have a photographer that does portfolio's for models who want fetish photos or videos These people are not prostitutes or doing any type of sex act. Their is no sex included in any of our sites. bdsm does not include --intercourse, anal. oral or otherwise
its FETISH FETISH BDSM MEANS SPANKING .FOOT WORSHIP, ROLE PLAYING AND ALL TYPES OF ACTING

NOT SEX..please read carefully before you accuse anyone for a crime and make a statement such as being busted, arrested or charge.
this is about them entering into a home business just like they can enter into yours...
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE ADVICE
The freespeach coalition has referred us to an attorney who is taking our case ..the website will remain up and i will not let anyone violate my rights.
Robert

Possibly even more useful to contact in these cases than the ACLU is the NCSF (National Coalition for Sexual Freedom - http://www.ncsfreedom.org/

They specialize in legal issues concerning both lifestyle and professional BDSM practices.

Rob, why the initial post of this? It certainly can only hurt your program. I, for one, questioned Cash4Fetish being listed on an adult resource page in lieu of this being made public.

I just cannot figure why folks air their legal problems in public?

Actually, if it fit my traffic better, I would be *more* inclined to link to a site that was going through tough times. I think that more than trying to garner attention from webmasters for their affiliate program, they were reaching out for support from a community, but sadly, there seems to be more animosity and "Egads, a hooker!" than anything else on this thread.

Good one! Thanks for contributing something helpful.

furrygirl, it isn't "egads a hooker"... it is the discredit that comes to our industry when a working girl attempts to cloak herself in the "I am a webmaster" deal, looking for sympathy from our industry, all the while openly soliciting directly on the same websites we are suppose to send traffic to?

She openly solicites on the website, uses the standard "I don't charge a fee, but there is a manditory donation" doubletalk. In reality, this women appears to have built a full dungeon in her house in a residential area, and is accepting paying cusotmers for BDSM and sexual encouters.

This likely has little to do with "censorship" or "obscenity", and more to do with being caught being a prostitute and soliciting online for business.

Alex

that's really funny

are you implying that we are prudes ??

to tell you the truth it crossed my mind a little while after this thread got going
I started thinking that maybe I am getting to old
but then I thought

how could I be a prude
I am a pornographer...... and a damn good one at that

but either way Again I am standing with Alex

this has nothing to do with 2257 neither.. completley unrelated. it HAS to be prostitution and I must agree with Greenguy.

I think I can read fairly well and I just reread this thread. Furrygirl, I fail to detect any animosity or anyone being judgmental.

I stand with Tommy and Aliex. I think publicity like this hurts our industry.

I do not think the initial poster was trying to garner attention from webmasters for their affiliate program. As I said, the initial post can only hurt their program. For certain, reputable webmasters will pull their links. Had the post not been made, 600+ webmasters would not have known about it.

There is a time to keep your fucking mouth closed.

Well it boils down to whether "sex" is involved or not.

beaver bob you built my site cash4fetish sitting here after i flew 5 of you from arizona to ct to finish my sites. You also were in my videos, programmed my sites and slept in my home for the weekend. I paid 2000 to fly you all here plus 2000 for cash4fetish
and 300 for each site template. Look at thumbdesigners where the site was created and solicited to me via the owners of hardcoremodeling. I was over charged and more than gracious in accomadating all 5 of you here in my home business, when your crew took over 10,000 dollars you were not saying any thing about prostitution, you were looking to cash in. My private life is not the case here and neither is my personal site.
No one here sends traffic to my personal site and i dont ask them to.

No one was charged with prostitution nor was it ever referred to by the cops, that is not why they raided my home business.
They violated my rights and nothing more. So before you speak and make claims remember your involvement in my websites. Not only did you create my site, but you acted in my videos. So why did you ??? if you thought this to be true.
I dont agree with vanilla porn either, but i dont accuse well known webmasters with crimes of pimping and pandering. You pay for models and shoot content, then live off the income that you make selling it. I would say that it is the same thing.

There is no sex involved at all ..

lol if i did cash4fetish it would look and work a lot better than it does now. I did not create your site. |thumb

to the point of the thread i was simply stating that I agreed with what Greenguy said.

there was no prostitution charge or arrest. Why do some of you here keep implying that. I'm amazed at the ignorance of people who have no understanding of how the bdsm community helps each other with donations so that we can keep our businesses and studios open. We are always willing to help others in the fetish lifestyle or not. I live the lifestyle and no one gets that..Why???
I guess i misjudged this adult fourm. I see that you sponser all kinds of fetish and mistress sites and earn money off them ..they are exact to mine ..are you saying that they dont take donations .Yes all Mistresses have people who donate to keep her sites and dungeon open.

I want to make it clear.

I was sincere in the advice I was giving you. And I hope you have a first Amendment lawyer. If they rolled up a forensic van then rest assured there is a foresic data recovery tech or examiner already acquring the hard drives of your comptuer.

Every website that youve visted at least in the last 30 days will be found.

Depending on your email program every email that youve sent or been sent will be found.

In short whatever you were actually doing there [and I dont care] and if you kept a record on your computer...it will be brought to light. And thats just on your computer.

I dont care that you may or may not have been a hooker in the eyes of the law. [I do understand the community.]

I dont care that your sites fall into that extreme genere. Even though I do agree that they bring a lot of unwanted attention to this business its your 1st Amendment right to have them.

I dont care that your use of the Epassporte was also questionable which is going to make it harder in the long run for all merchants to use one...thats between you and Epassporte.

If you were seeking advice I will amend what I told you you might want to get 2 good lawyers. One of them better be a Free Speech or 1st Amendment lawyer and the other one needs to understand this industry and technology pretty well.

You've managed to come up on the local radar and if they have confiscated all of your gear then you can rest assured that they are coming after you with a crusade like youve never seen before. And based on the points Ive made above youve got a rough road to travel.

If you came here looking for any other assistance ... I find it curious. As a former board owner Ive seen a lot of people call for help over the years but have never participated in the community that they are asking help from. Im sure with your involvement in the B&D community you can appreciate why these members find it curious to say the least.

Nonetheless you have a long and rough road to travel in the legal world if you are as pristine as you say. Your time might be better served working with lawyers and the local B&D community.

If the courts clear your name....might I also suggest reading some of these board with a little more detail. Maybe attend a few industry shows and participate in the ethics seminar.

I do care that you have an affiliate program that solicits traffic from other webmasters yet you 'shave" the donations from the aforementioned traffic.

That certainly doesnt look very well in the eyes of the webmaster community.

I agree with you as well but its still her 1st Amendment right to keep them. Theres no doubt that the extreme sites sell.

Its my guess that in the long run with the current administration they are also going to cost ----- cost to defend the right to have them.

Those site owners are the equivalent of the industry's "canary in a coalmine".