Rentboy.com Manhattan Office Raided By Authorities

Tuesday morning federal authorities raided the Rentboy.com headquarters in Manhattan. Seven arrests were made, including Rentboy.com CEO Jeffrey Hurant and six employees, and many boxes and computers were confiscated. Rentboy.com bills itself as "the word's destination to meet the perfect male escort or masseur." The site charges escorts to advertise, while johns—I mean, clients—pay a minimum monthly fee of $59.95 in order to have access to the database. Rentboy.com amassed $10 million dollars between 2010 and 2015.

 Boxes being confiscated from the Rentboy.com Manhattan headquarters. 

I hope you're sitting down for this next part. Rentboy.com has been suspected of being more of a male prostitution ring than it is a place to get a good back rub. I know. It turns out the company, founded in 1997, can allegedly be used as a forum for advertising illegal services. U.S. Attorney Kelly Currie said in a statement "As alleged, Rentboy.com attempted to present a veneer of legality, when in fact this internet brothel made millions of dollars from the promotion of illegal prostitution." 

Rentboy.com CEO Jeffrey Hurant

The raid was carried out by Homeland Security with the help of the NYPD. The seven people arrested are being charged for violating the Travel Act, which basically forbids using travel or mail for the use of criminal activity. 

Via NBC New York