{"id":184,"date":"2018-10-29T16:31:57","date_gmt":"2018-10-29T16:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/?p=184"},"modified":"2018-11-27T16:53:58","modified_gmt":"2018-11-27T16:53:58","slug":"the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/","title":{"rendered":"The REAL Story Behind the Lyon County Sheriff\u2019s \u201cSex Trafficking\u201d Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>(Chuck Muth)<\/em> &#8211; If you believe the headlines, you might jump to the conclusion that Lyon County\u2019s legal brothels are Ground Zero for an international sex trafficking ring\u2026<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cTrafficking signs seen in brothels\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cAudit of Hof\u2019s 4 legal sites finds lack of enforcement\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cA third of prostitutes registered in 2017 had red flags of possible human trafficking\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cAudit finds signs of human trafficking at brothels in Nevada county\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cLyon County finds possible signs of trafficking at brothels\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cLyon Co. Sheriff&#8217;s Audit Found Issues in Vetting of Legal Prostitutes\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cLyon County increasing enforcement at brothels\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And you\u2019d be wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Not your fault.\u00a0 Misleading, hysteria-inducing click-bait headlines are how they sell papers.\u00a0 It\u2019s one of the reasons why the term \u201cfake news\u201d has become so popular.\u00a0 So let\u2019s look deeper into the story and beyond the headlines\u2026<\/p>\n<p>First notice the use of \u201cweasel words\u201d so often deployed by politicians. (For example: \u201cI don\u2019t *INTEND* to raise taxes\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>Weasel words allow news publications to defend their misleading stories and headlines as technically accurate.\u00a0 There were \u201csigns\u201d of trafficking.\u00a0 There were \u201cred flags.\u201d\u00a0 Trafficking might be \u201cpossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The truth is, NO SEX TRAFFICKING in any of Lyon County\u2019s four legal brothels was discovered during the reported audit.\u00a0 Not one arrest.\u00a0 Not one citation.\u00a0 Not one fine.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, this wasn\u2019t an \u201cAudit of Hof\u2019s 4 legal sites.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This was an audit of the processes and procedures at the Lyon County Sheriff\u2019s Office (LCSO) &#8211; NOT the brothels &#8211; to make sure the LCSO itself was doing adequate screening of brothel applicants before issuing them a work card.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s a critical point overlooked in the headlines: The brothels don\u2019t issue work cards!\u00a0 The sheriff\u2019s office does.<\/p>\n<p>No one is allowed to work in one of Lyon County\u2019s legal brothels unless and until the sheriff\u2019s office, not the brothels, clear them after conducting FBI and other background checks.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, as Sheriff Al McNeil <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lyoncountyfreedom.org\/video-save-our-brothels-town-hall-in-yerington-10-23-18\/\">noted at the town hall forum<\/a><\/strong> on Lyon County Question 1 last week, the sheriff\u2019s office has been issuing work cards for brothel workers since 1990 and\u2026<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cThe sheriff\u2019s office has not done a good job in vetting the applicants coming through the brothel system.\u00a0 We own it. \u2026 The problem lies in the vetting that we should have been doing for the past 28 years that we haven\u2019t been doing. \u2026 When we looked at this internal audit we saw the problems that were associated; that we weren\u2019t doing a good job.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Again, this entire four-month investigation was of the SHERIFF\u2019S OFFICE, not the brothels.\u00a0 The spot-check of \u201cHof\u2019s 4 legal sites\u201d \u2013 as <a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\/article\/immigration-agents-join-sheriffs-personnel-on-educational-visits-to-lyon-county-brothels-no-citations-or-arrests\"><strong>accurately reported<\/strong><\/a> only by the <em>Nevada Independent<\/em> \u2013 was solely an \u201ceducational visit\u201d with federal ICE agents in an effort to help LCSO tighten up its screening procedures.<\/p>\n<p>The results of the internal audit were recently submitted to the Lyon County Commission.\u00a0 And that report, too, has been largely misrepresented by news outlets and cherry-picked by opponents.\u00a0 So let\u2019s take a look at some key points\u2026<\/p>\n<p>1.)\u00a0 Under \u201cFindings,\u201d the LCSO noted that \u201ca recent brothel statement\u201d indicated that \u201c134 non-sex worker support staff\u201d worked in the brothels but LCSO \u201ccan only document 79.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sounds like violations, right?\u00a0 Wrong.<\/p>\n<p>The fact is there are a number of employees \u2013 including IT personnel, marketers and restaurant workers at the NV 50 grill \u2013 who are not tied directly to the brothels and aren\u2019t required to obtain brothel work cards.<\/p>\n<p>Funny how that little fact, which was included in the sheriff\u2019s report, somehow never made it into news stories.\u00a0 Nor &#8211; again printed right in the \u201cFindings\u201d for anyone to see &#8211; this statement: \u201cThere are no significant public safety concerns with these employees as it relates to criminal cases.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Go figure.<\/p>\n<p>2.)\u00a0 In the review of work cards for sex workers themselves, the LCSO report found\u2026<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>22 applicants who \u201cself-disclosed being foreign-born and\/or non-citizens\u201d<\/li>\n<li>13 who \u201cmade self-disclosure of active criminal cases\u201d<\/li>\n<li>19 who \u201cself-disclosed prior prostitution convictions\u201d<\/li>\n<li>4 who \u201cself-disclosed active prostitution arrest without case closure\u201d<\/li>\n<li>1 who \u201cself-disclosed immigration deportation proceedings\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Do you see the common thread here?\u00a0 \u201cSelf-disclosed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No one was caught trying to \u201chide something\u201d on their application.\u00a0 And none of the self-disclosures were cause to deny the applicants a work card \u2013 which, again, was issued by LCSO, not the brothels.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, none of this information was provided to the brothels.\u00a0 It\u2019s all on the LCSO work card applications.<\/p>\n<p>And yet, all of these self-disclosures were listed in the report as \u201cHuman Trafficking Indicators.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndicators.\u201d Like how the sniffles might be an \u201cindicator\u201d that you\u2019re about to get the flu.\u00a0 Or not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndicators\u201d don\u2019t mean the applicant is or was involved in human trafficking.\u00a0 Just that maybe a little deeper investigation into the applicant\u2019s background by LCSO is called for.<\/p>\n<p>Again, these were only \u201cindicators\u201d of POSSIBLE human sex trafficking; no actual human sex trafficking was found.<\/p>\n<p>3.)\u00a0 As for including self-disclosed prior and open prostitution arrests, the LCSO report states these are \u201cindicators\u201d that the individuals \u201ccould still be controlled by a pimp.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould.\u201d\u00a0 Not \u201care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s another possibility\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Maybe these sex workers \u2013 who have been working in the ILLEGAL sex market and were arrested for it \u2013 decided it was better for them to work in LEGAL brothels than on the street.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, we\u2019ve heard stories where JUDGES have actually ADVISED individuals caught engaging in the illegal market to go work in the legal brothels instead.<\/p>\n<p>And what about sex workers working in the illegal market who are being physically or mentally abused by their illegal pimp?\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t it be understandable if they decided to escape such unsafe and abusive working conditions and instead move into a legal brothel?<\/p>\n<p>Sure, previous experience as an illegal sex worker might be an indicator of human sex trafficking.\u00a0 But it could also be an indicator of someone logically and understandably deciding that working in a legal brothel is safer and less risky.<\/p>\n<p>You simply cannot jump to the conclusion that all sex workers with a previous history in sex work are being \u201ctrafficked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So what have we learned, class?<\/p>\n<p>First, never take newspaper headlines at face value.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, the actual screening \u201cproblem\u201d has not been by the brothels.<\/p>\n<p>Thirdly, maybe there are some possible examples of actual sex trafficking going on\u2026or maybe not.<\/p>\n<p>The good news and positive development in all of this is that Sheriff McNeil and the LCSO are now working in PARTNERSHIP with Lyon County\u2019s legal brothels and legal sex workers to find solutions rather than working as adversaries.<\/p>\n<p>The legal brothels don\u2019t want sex trafficking any more than anyone else.\u00a0 They get thousands of applications from individuals who want to work legally every year.\u00a0 Willingly.\u00a0 Knowingly.\u00a0 Without coercion.<\/p>\n<p>Together, the LCSO and the brothels are now working to update and refine the screening procedures for sex worker applicants that will better protect both the community and the workers themselves.\u00a0 This is a good thing.<\/p>\n<p>The current system of legal brothels in Lyon County \u2013 which has been in place for almost 50 years &#8211; isn\u2019t broken.\u00a0 It just needs a little modernization.\u00a0 You don\u2019t throw the baby out with the bathwater.<\/p>\n<p>Prostitution will continue to exist in Lyon County with or without the licensed, regulated and taxed legal brothels.\u00a0 The legal system \u2013 while not perfect \u2013 is far better.<\/p>\n<span class=\"et_bloom_bottom_trigger\"><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Chuck Muth) &#8211; If you believe the headlines, you might jump to the conclusion that Lyon County\u2019s legal brothels are Ground Zero for an international sex trafficking ring\u2026 \u201cTrafficking signs seen in brothels\u201d \u201cAudit of Hof\u2019s 4 legal sites finds lack of enforcement\u201d \u201cA third of prostitutes registered in 2017 had red flags of possible [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The REAL Story Behind the Lyon County Sheriff\u2019s \u201cSex Trafficking\u201d Report - Nevada Brothel Association<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The REAL Story Behind the Lyon County Sheriff\u2019s \u201cSex Trafficking\u201d Report - Nevada Brothel Association\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(Chuck Muth) &#8211; If you believe the headlines, you might jump to the conclusion that Lyon County\u2019s legal brothels are Ground Zero for an international sex trafficking ring\u2026 \u201cTrafficking signs seen in brothels\u201d \u201cAudit of Hof\u2019s 4 legal sites finds lack of enforcement\u201d \u201cA third of prostitutes registered in 2017 had red flags of possible [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nevada Brothel Association\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-29T16:31:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-11-27T16:53:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"NBA Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"NBA Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/\",\"name\":\"The REAL Story Behind the Lyon County Sheriff\u2019s \u201cSex Trafficking\u201d Report - Nevada Brothel Association\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-29T16:31:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-27T16:53:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/874c6868ebe8a54d9c426fab5eaf4758\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The REAL Story Behind the Lyon County Sheriff\u2019s \u201cSex Trafficking\u201d Report\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/\",\"name\":\"Nevada Brothel Association\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/874c6868ebe8a54d9c426fab5eaf4758\",\"name\":\"NBA Staff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07de3286071ff0dc51886e2178747746?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07de3286071ff0dc51886e2178747746?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"NBA Staff\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/author\/nba-staff\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The REAL Story Behind the Lyon County Sheriff\u2019s \u201cSex Trafficking\u201d Report - Nevada Brothel Association","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The REAL Story Behind the Lyon County Sheriff\u2019s \u201cSex Trafficking\u201d Report - Nevada Brothel Association","og_description":"(Chuck Muth) &#8211; If you believe the headlines, you might jump to the conclusion that Lyon County\u2019s legal brothels are Ground Zero for an international sex trafficking ring\u2026 \u201cTrafficking signs seen in brothels\u201d \u201cAudit of Hof\u2019s 4 legal sites finds lack of enforcement\u201d \u201cA third of prostitutes registered in 2017 had red flags of possible [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/","og_site_name":"Nevada Brothel Association","article_published_time":"2018-10-29T16:31:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-11-27T16:53:58+00:00","author":"NBA Staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"NBA Staff","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/","url":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/","name":"The REAL Story Behind the Lyon County Sheriff\u2019s \u201cSex Trafficking\u201d Report - Nevada Brothel Association","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-10-29T16:31:57+00:00","dateModified":"2018-11-27T16:53:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/874c6868ebe8a54d9c426fab5eaf4758"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/the-real-story-behind-the-lyon-county-sheriffs-sex-trafficking-report\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The REAL Story Behind the Lyon County Sheriff\u2019s \u201cSex Trafficking\u201d Report"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/","name":"Nevada Brothel Association","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/874c6868ebe8a54d9c426fab5eaf4758","name":"NBA Staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07de3286071ff0dc51886e2178747746?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/07de3286071ff0dc51886e2178747746?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"NBA Staff"},"url":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/author\/nba-staff\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185,"href":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions\/185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nevadabrothelassociation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}