Rentboy CEO strikes plea deal for $10 million in fines and short term prison sentence
Rent boy.com CEO, Jeffrey Hurant, has pleaded guilty to promoting prostitution and conspiring to commit money laundering.
Hurant took a plea deal that will land him no more than two years in prison, but imposes a $10 million fine.
Homeland Security raided the site’s offices and arrested Hurant mind a number of employees. Over 200 donors raised $63,000 to defend the former CEO.
Staff who ran the site were dismissed of charges at the start of this year.
Rentboy.com was founded in 1986 and was known as the largest online male escort website before its New York offices were raided last summer.
The site, which boasted ten thousand users on 2,100 cities across the world, described itself as “the original and world’s largest male escort site.”
However, authorities claim the site was nothing more than a front for operating a prostitution ring.
Activists accused the government of targeting the LGBT community, particularly those who may be trying to make a living in the face of discrimination in the work force or whilst homeless.
The site was allegedly raking in a $2.5 million profit per month in California alone. a majority of the revenue the site generated was coming from its “adult services” section which helped escorts find clients.
Attorney general Kamala Harris said: “Raking in millions of dollars from the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable victims is outrageous, despicable and illegal.”
