NO brothel federal case
Federal prosecutors have indicted a dozen prostitutes and madames from an upscale New Orleans brothel. The charges spring from intensive FBI wiretap surveillance over the last year, initially motivated by suspicions of mob ties and major drug dealing at the brothel. 5000+ phone calls revealed no such evidence, but the U.S. Attorney's Office decided to use the amassed evidence to file trumped-up "conspiracy and racketeering" charges against the prostitutes and madames. A prominent New Orleans criminal defense lawyer says, "The whole thing is an incredible waste of federal resources. To make a federal offense out of it is like using an elephant gun to kill a fly." The brothel's customers won't face charges, because paying for sex is not a federal offense and the local DA has chosen not to get involved in the case.
