Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Judge ruled prostitution website broke no laws, but prosecutor argues Internet "is a place."
The New Mexico State Supreme Court has denied a request by prosecutors to overturn a lower court decision that a prostitution website allegedly run by an ex-Fairleigh Dickinson University was not illegal, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. A judge had ruled that the website, called "Southwest Companions," broke no laws. Albuquerque police in 2011 charged retired Metro Campus physics professor David Flory and former University of New Mexico president F. Chris Garcia with running the site, which authorities say linked johns with prostitutes. Investigators told Patch the site was operated as a "hobby" and not for profit. District Judge Stan Whitaker ruled that the website, an online message board, is not legally a "house of …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Case against two academics prompted calls for new laws around prostitution websites
The New Mexico Supreme Court will hear arguments next month in the case of a now-retired Fairleigh Dickinson University professor and former university president accused of running an online brothel, the Albuquerque Journal reported Wednesday. Albuquerque authorities had alleged that the Metropolitan Campus professor, David Flory, and ex-University of New Mexico president F. Chris Garcia ran "Southwest Companions,” a website that linked prostitutes with johns and offered tips on how to spot undercover officers. The prosecution hit a snag when a New Mexico judge said grand jurors hearing the case would have to be told of his ruling that a website message board could not be considered a "house of prostitution," the report said. …
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Cases against prostitution websites meet with free speech claims, loopholes.
The governor of New Mexico has called on lawmakers to update the state’s prostitution laws after a judge cleared a former college president and Fairleigh Dickinson University professor on charges they ran an online brothel, the Associated Press reported. Retired Metro campus professor David C. Flory and former University of New Mexico president F. Chris Garcia were accused in June 2011 of running a website called “Southwest Companions” that linked prostitutes with clients. The site was run as a “hobby” and included 200 female prostitutes and 1,200 johns, police told Patch after the arrest. In the Southwest Companions case, police did not accuse the pair of profiting from the site, and the AP report notes defense attorneys have argued men …
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Professor accused of running website that linked prostitutes with clients.
The case in New Mexico against a Fairleigh Dickinson University professor accused of running an online prostitution ring will likely go before a grand jury this month, a District Attorney’s spokeswoman said Friday. Albuquerque Police charged David Flory, a Metropolitan Campus physics professor, and former University of New Mexico President F. Chris Garcia with running Southwest Companions, a sophisticated website that linked prostitutes with clients, allowed men to rate their experiences and offered tips on how to avoid undercover police. Flory ran the website, which included 200 prostitutes and more than 1,200 johns, as a hobby, police said after his arrest. Through a subpoena to the site’s Internet domain registration company, police …
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Prosecutors say they plan to re-file charges as investigation continues.
Prosecutors in New Mexico have temporarily dismissed charges against Fairleigh Dickinson University Professor David Flory while computer experts continue to search through the online prostitution ring he allegedly helped run, according to authorities and news reports. In June, Albuquerque, N.M. police charged the Metropolitan Campus physics professor with allegedly running “Southwest Companions,” a website they said linked johns with prostitutes. Police said the site involved 200 female prostitutes and 1,200 johns, and it was possible Flory accessed the site from his campus office. State police searched the Teaneck office and federal agents were assisting in the computer forensics, authorities said. Charges including promoting …
Friday, June 24, 2011
Former university president also charged in prostitution website case.
The Fairleigh Dickinson University professor accused of running an online prostitution ring has been placed on a leave of absence, a University spokeswoman said Friday. Physics professor David Flory was put on leave as the University awaits more information in the pending investigation, spokeswoman Dina Schipper said in a statement. She did not elaborate. Albuquerque police say the 68-year-old professor managed SouthwestCompanions.info, a site that linked prostitutes with johns, provided descriptions of undercover police officers and hosted videos offering legal advice on what to do if arrested. Flory ran the site, which included 200 prostitutes and more than 1,200 johns, as a hobby, police said. He is charged with 40 counts of …
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Accused FDU professor out on bail, officials say.
A former university president is one of two people arrested in connection with the widening probe into a prostitution website allegedly run by Fairleigh Dickinson University professor David Flory, authorities said Thursday. Former University of New Mexico President F. Chris Garcia was arrested in connection with the Flory case Thursday, according to Albuquerque police spokeswoman Sgt. Tricia Hoffman. Investigators also searched Garcia's on-campus home and office. Garcia, a 71-year-old distinguished professor emeritus, is charged with conspiracy, tampering and promoting prostitution, Hoffman said. He was ordered held on $35,000 bail. Police said Garcia was a moderator on the site and tried to delete incriminating posts. On Wednesday, …
John Santaella
12:32 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013
Liberal? How do you figure? If anything a Liberal interpretation would cover the law broadly and not narrowly. more ›