(February 25, 2019) –This morning, Mustang Ranch announced that it will be filing to intervene in the federal lawsuit filed by anti-brothel proponent Jason Guinasso. Guinasso’s lawsuit, which has been filed against the State of Nevada, aims to criminalize prostitution throughout the state.
“Guinasso’s actions will put thousands of women back into the hands of pimps working illegally,” said Lance Gilman, real estate developer and owner of Mustang Ranch. “Every single worker at the Mustang Ranch is required to undergo an FBI fingerprint and criminal database background check every single year. The female entrepreneurs in the industry pay their taxes, support their family, buy their first homes, and pay their way through college or other educational courses. In over 4,000 work card applications filed over the last 20 years by working professionals and employees at the Mustang, not one has turned up to be a victim of trafficking. Not one,” said Gilman. “Yet, Guinasso is going after these people, and completely ignoring the current problem.”
“This will also hurt rural counties in Nevada by immediately removing tax and fee revenues out of their budgets,” continued Gilman. “At the Mustang, we fund over $100,000 year in charitable contributions locally, most to local seniors and we also sponsor a backpack food program for children from families in need in our County.”
“This is a desperate act by Guinasso,” said Gilman. “He knows this exact claim has been litigated before in this state and Nevada laws allowing licensed brothels have been repeatedly upheld. He lost badly in the court of public opinion in the recent election. His referendum lost by an 80% – 20% margin in Lyon County, even with the local Sheriff financing his anti-brothel effort. And he couldn’t even get a vote in Nye County. Every single poll taken in the state by reputable polling firms, including polling within the last 8 months, confirms widespread support for brothels and regulated prostitution. He’s trying to do an end run on the people of Nevada,” said Gilman.
“Unfortunately, it’s just another political stunt by this man. That’s why he sent out his complaint to the media before it was even filed. This is all about him marketing and branding his position within his narrow political faction. As far as I know, Guinasso hasn’t done one act to actually help the ladies working on the illegal side escape their pimps or ever taken action to stop handbilling of illegal prostitutes by pimps on the Las Vegas strip, prostitutes on the streets of Reno, and illegal sexual services in the massage parlors in the big cities in Nevada,” said Gilman.
“His entire complaint is about illegal prostitution and trafficking, which has no relationship to licensed brothels in Nevada.”
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