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Prostitution fronts, beware!
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Posted on Mar 29 2005
More establishments in Garapan will be sent warning notices, with the Attorney General’s Office maintaining that the campaign against prostitution remains one of its top priorities.
CNMI chief prosecutor David Hutton said that, while other matters such as violent crimes and those related to the garment industry have taken his offices’ immediate attention in the past two months, he would soon follow up on at least three notices sent to different Garapan establishments sometime in January.
Those notices warned the Garapan establishments to refrain from promoting prostitution activities within 60 days, or they face possible criminal prosecution for non-compliance.
Hutton had refused to reveal the names of those establishments pending their possible compliance, but said that they operate massage parlors.
He said he would soon issue similar notices to other Garapan establishments that are suspected of promoting prostitution. Those establishments might include nightclubs that are suspected of promoting illegal sex trade, the prosecutor said.
The CNMI government wants to rid the CNMI’s premier tourist district of prostitution, as it promotes the Northern Marianas as a healthy family destination.
Some nightclubs and restaurants allegedly serve as fronts for prostitution, operating beyond the legitimate scope of their businesses.
Sometime last January, lawmen arrested seven women in Garapan for allegedly offering sexual favors for fees. The arrests came following the issuance of court warrants sought by Immigration agents, who have been conducting surveillance operations at the tourist district since October last year.
