RW in the news

[Maxx2]

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/30/justice/new-york-strip-club-charges/index.html


[/size]

(CNN) -- Federal officials charged 20 people Wednesday in a scheme to recruit illegal immigrants from Russia and Eastern European countries to work as exotic dancers in New York strip clubs, according to Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Charges against the 20 individuals include racketeering, extortion, visa and marriage fraud, and transporting and harboring illegal immigrants. The accused are alleged to be members of the Gambino and Bonanno organized crime families, according to federal authorities.
"The defendants themselves had one thing in common -- the desire to turn the women they allegedly helped enter this country illegally into their personal profit centers,"Bharara said. "Today's arrests have brought an end to their illicit activities."
Several of the accused are alleged to have run the "Strip Club Enterprise," which controlled a series of strip clubs throughout Queens and Long Island. Through these clubs, the accused are alleged to have recruited Eastern European women to enter the United States on student J1 visas to perform as strippers in their enterprises. Prosecutors also charge the defendants threatened physical violence and economic harm if the owners and operators of New York strip clubs as part of a broad extortion scheme.
"The defendants controlled their business and protected their turf through intimidation and threats of physical and economic harm," said James T. Hayes, Jr., special agent in charge with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which led the investigation. "Today's arrests bring to an end a long-standing criminal enterprise operated by colluding organized crime entities that profited wildly through a combination of extortion and fraud."
Some of the exotic dancers brought illegally into the United States were also matched with U.S. citizens in fraudulent marriages to resolve their immigrations status, prosecutors said in the indictment.
Before dawn on Wednesday, federal agents arrived at Cheetah's Gentlemans Club and Restaurant off Times Square in Manhattan, Gallagher's 2000 in Queens, NY, and seven other New York-area strip clubs and confiscated files and documents.
Attorneys for those indicted were not immediately available for comment.

[/size]Back in 2007 while I putting together a documentary I filmed a RW immigration attorney talking about the same thing that happened in the current news story above.

"More than 20 exotic dancers filed for a joint I-360 petition and they were all working for the same strip joint and that's how it became very suspicious  because why would all of them have the same story. What happened is they learned from each other about this immigration process and they tried to file it but you know Vermont (were all I-360 abuse petitions go) saw that"

First 1 minute of the above youtube.

[Jumper]

well if you want to play sleuth further Maxx
 
You might find it interesting a certain large agency is located in romeoville ill,
I'm sure it's purely coiencendental that the very popular strip club around the corner has always been staffed almost 99%  by a particular eastern european countries citizens, here on various visas, the other 1% is simply another FSU country.
 
I'm sure there are no ties between the owners ,
or any of the people behind the scenes of the two businesses ,any speculation along those lines is merely entertaining. It is Chicago though, so concrete shoes arn't perhaps uncommon for those a bit too nosey.

[calmissile]

Very interesting video.  Worth watching.
Especially worthy of note is the Russian attorney on Russian Radio advising the listeners to file abuse charges to get a green card.    Sounds like Russian attorneys have about the same amount of scruples as US attorneys.

[Maxx2]

well if you want to play sleuth further Maxx

Once upon a time I would have jumped on that with a undercover RW or two and hidden cams. I'd have financed the whole operation. Now I'm rather burnt out on the whole subject.


I hope you are doing well Jumper as one former J-Dub to another.




Maxx 

[Maxx2]

Very interesting video.  Worth watching.
Especially worthy of note is the Russian attorney on Russian Radio advising the listeners to file abuse charges to get a green card.    Sounds like Russian attorneys have about the same amount of scruples as US attorneys.

Thanks for watching. The whole 10 minutes and 54 seconds is rich in information for those who can objectively read between the lines.


What I found interesting is these "20 exotic dancers" must have been married to AM (USCs or LPRs) and in conditional greencard or pre conditional green card status. Otherwise there is no need to file a I-360. I-360s are not for immigrant women who arrived by student, business or tourist visas and were not married to AM or LPRs. That these "20" women (the exact number is unknown) would be willing to commit a felony fraud in such a transparent and stupid manner. A brazen act by brazen women I suppose.

[acctBill]

Very interesting video.  Worth watching.
Especially worthy of note is the Russian attorney on Russian Radio advising the listeners to file abuse charges to get a green card.    Sounds like Russian attorneys have about the same amount of scruples as US attorneys.

20 women from the same strip club?  Didn't any of them realize that this action would raise the suspicions of the US government?  Surely if these women had legal advise the lawyer(s) would warn them that this type of action would appear suspicious.   

[BC]

That these "20" women (the exact number is unknown) would be willing to commit a felony fraud in such a transparent and stupid manner. A brazen act by brazen women I suppose.

Simple.. nothing to loose.

At worst, they probably got some free food, lodging and time to relax, not to mention a free ticket home.  Yeah that's brazen all right.

What about the 20 men/sponsors involved? - all 'innocent' heh?  Certainly they had more to lose.  Now that is indeed stupid.

[Maxx2]

20 women from the same strip club?  Didn't any of them realize that this action would raise the suspicions of the US government?  Surely if these women had legal advise the lawyer(s) would warn them that this type of action would appear suspicious.

The RW attorney in the video seemed to think they were stupid if I read her right. Are strippers known for their intelligence?

[Maxx2]

What about the 20 men/sponsors involved? - all 'innocent' heh?  Certainly they had more to lose.  Now that is indeed stupid.

Could be mules with the knowledge that it was all going to be a short term affair. I heard from some in that area that arranged marriages could be had for about $20K.

[BC]

The RW attorney in the video seemed to think they were stupid if I read her right. Are strippers known for their intelligence?

I hear many students work in clubs.  I guess one could ask who really is stupid.. the man with an empty wallet or woman with a g-string with bills hanging all over.. LOL

Stupidly clever?

[Maxx2]

I hear many students work in clubs.  I guess one could ask who really is stupid.. the man with an empty wallet or woman with a g-string with bills hanging all over.. LOL

Stupidly clever?

Unless they knew they were going to be rescued by the USCIS from sex slavery they acted stupid. "All with the same story".

[BC]

Unless they knew they were going to be rescued by the USCIS from sex slavery they acted stupid. "All with the same story".

Did they get rescued?

[Maxx2]

Did they get rescued?

Not these particular women that I know of. I know of a three cases where a rescue has happened.  One of the gals "Lucy" (Lubov) continued her work in a massage parlor and made quite a lot of money while her abuse petition was being processed. Another were some RW at a strip joint who were busted for something and were asked by the USCIS if they were pressed into their work by their abusive husbands. They said "Da!" and got the quick treatment to LPR status.  Then there was "Lucy's" friend and roommate Elena who worked at the same massage parlor and was also getting the same express treatment by the USCIS. She got her stash stolen by "Lucy" one day and she called the police but of course there was nothing they could do about it. "Lucy" denied everything. Both women were asked to leave by the priest at the Orthodox church where they were staying.  I heard and seen so many weird and bazaar things that nothing surprises me anymore. This whole immigration process here in the US creates a lot of stressed out and desperate people willing to do most anything to survive.

[GQBlues]

Unfortunately, RWs, as do many other EE women (CE before as well before acceptance in the EU) are widely known to work in strip joints everywhere. Many of them students, and even work/travel recipients trying to make additional $$ before going back to their respective home countries..unfortunately, many flies under the radar and just simply stays.
 
The news isn't so much about the 20 women as it is about the ring circus that actually runs these segment of human trafficking. This leg is a completely different system than what I noted above.
 
Either way, while very unfortunate, it is this very reality that really haunts all other FSUW's images residing in the US. Sad.

[BC]

Either way, while very unfortunate, it is this very reality that really haunts all other FSUW's images residing in the US. Sad.

Yes, in some countries 'Natasha's' is a common term for FSUW working abroad in the adult industry.

[Maxx2]

Yes, in some countries 'Natasha's' is a common term for FSUW working abroad in the adult industry.

I agree completely with GQ. It is sad that many (most?) Americans think in stereotypes in regards to RW.