Craigslist in Trouble Again … 7 Arrested in Craiglist Prostitution Ring in NYC

CRAIGSLIST STRIKES AGAIN …

Once again Craigslist finds itself associated with an act on the wrong side of the law.  Seven individuals have been arrested in a prostitution ring in New York City where they operated exclusively through classified ads placed on Craigslist. The charges include enterprise corruption, conspiracy and money laundering according to New York State’s Attorney General, Andrew Cuoma.

According to New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, “Room Service Entertainment” used the online service to run its regional prostitution ring both before and after a “so-called” reforms Craigslist instituted last fall.

Following another set of modifications to Craigslist advertising practices that the company had announced following the Brisman slaying, Cuomo blasted those reforms as “half baked” and said that Craigslist had unilaterally instituted them in the middle of the night instead of cooperating with his office.

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

Craigslist continues to be a haven for illegal activity. In this case it was an illegal prostitution ring run by Scott Sal Rosenberg and Josef Davenport.

Scott Sal Rosenberg, 45, and Josef Davenport, 31, are accused of co-owning and operating Room Service Entertainment (RSE), headquartered in Ozone Park and advertised exclusively in the Erotic Services section of Craigslist. According to Cuomo, RSE bookers would post ads on the site that contain pornographic images and a phone number to arrange a date with a prostitute, and continuously post new listings to keep their ads prominently featured.

Previously, Craigslist dropped their “erotic services” ads following the recent high profile murders by Phil Markoff and due to the pressure from law enforcement.