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PORNHUB PARENT COMPANY ADMITS TO RECEIVING PROCEEDS OF SEX TRAFFICKING AND AGREES TO THREE-YEAR MONITOR
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Pornhub Parent Company “One of Largest (Porn) Distributors in the world” Admits to Receiving Proceeds of Sex Trafficking and Agrees to Three-Year Monitor. “STANDARDS SET FOR (All) PORN INDUSTRY SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE”–FBI
DEFERRED PROSECUTION AGREEMENT RESOLVES MONEY LAUNDERING CHARGE
WPCNR FBI WIRE. From U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York
In federal court in Brooklyn, December 21, Aylo Holdings S.A.R.L. (formerly MindGeek S.A.R.L.) (Aylo), parent company to Pornhub.com, was arraigned on a charge of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions involving sex trafficking proceeds, after entering into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York to resolve the charge.
The proceeding was held before United States Chief Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom.
The DPA provides for the appointment of a monitor (Monitor) for three years and for payments to be made to the United States and to individuals adversely affected by the underlying sex trafficking.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the deferred prosecution agreement.
Mr. Peace also thanked the Victim/Witness Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, and the FBI’s San Diego Field Office for their valuable assistance in this case.
“This deferred prosecution agreement holds the parent company of Pornhub.com accountable for its role in hosting videos and accepting payments from criminal actors who coerced young women into engaging in sexual acts on videos that were posted without their consent,” stated United States Attorney Peace.
“This Office is committed to ensuring internet safety and protecting people from online sexual exploitation. It is our hope that this resolution, which includes certain agreed payments to the women whose images were posted on the company’s platforms and an independent monitorship brings some measure of closure to those negatively affected. This resolution will not only provide oversight over one of the largest online content distributors in the world and ensure the company’s lawful behavior, but it will also develop industry-wide standards for safety and compliance.”
“Motivated by profit, Aylo Holdings knowingly enriched itself by turning a blind eye to the concerns of victims who communicated to the company that they were deceived and coerced into participating in illicit sexual activity” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith. “Make no mistake, any entity that engages in sexual exploitation will be held to account for the mental anguish and terror imposed on victims. I hope today’s proceedings bring a sense of justice to the victims in this case as they move forward in their lives.”
Unlawful Receipt of Sex Trafficking Proceeds
Aylo operates free and paid adult websites that allow third parties to post and distribute adult videos, including on its websites Pornhub.com and PornhubPremium.com.
As part of its business, Aylo contracted and/or partnered with adult entertainment companies who were given personalized channels on Aylo’s websites, which Aylo promoted and from which Aylo profited.
Beginning in 2009, Aylo hosted pornographic videos created by GirlsDoPorn (GDP) founder Michael Pratt and his co-conspirators (collectively referred to as the “GDP Operators”) on Aylo’s websites, including Pornhub.com.
The GDP Operators owned and operated a pornographic production company and online pornography websites called GDP and “GirlsDoToys” (GDT).
In 2019, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of California returned an indictment against the GDP Operators, for, among other charges, sex trafficking offenses, for deceiving and coercing young women to appear in sex videos which were then posted online without the women’s consent. See United States v. Pratt, et. al. 19-CR-4488. Since then, several of the GDP Operators have been convicted in connection with that criminal prosecution.
According to Aylo’s admissions and/or court documents filed today, between 2017 and 2019, Aylo received money that Aylo knew or should have known was derived from the GDP Operators’ sex trafficking operations.
For example, in September 2017, Aylo learned that many of the women appearing in the GDP and GDT videos had filed a civil lawsuit in California against the GDP Operators alleging that the complainants had been tricked and coerced into filming the adult videos and that the videos were posted on Pornhub.com without their consent.
Between 2016 and 2019, Aylo also received several conte.nt removal requests from complainants seeking to remove GDP videos from its websites. The complainants told Aylo that they had been lied to and defrauded into making these videos and that the videos were posted on Pornhub.com without their consent.
Although Aylo sought, and received, information from the GDP Operators that purported to establish that the complainants had given consent for their videos to be posted online, Aylo did not independently verify consent and did not remove all the videos that were requested to be taken down.
Moreover, in August 2019, Aylo learned that a GDP videographer had testified during the civil trial that he falsely told women that their sex videos would not appear online so that they would agree to appear in the videos, and that such videos were posted on Pornhub.com.
Despite the above, Aylo continued to host the GDP and GDT channels on its websites and accept money from its partnership with the GDP Operators.
On or about October 14, 2019, Aylo finally removed the official GDP channel from its platforms. However, the company did not take steps to identify for removal all unofficial GDP content from its website at that time. Aylo also did not remove the official GDT channel from its platforms until December 2020 even though the company knew that the individuals operating GDT were the same as those who operated GDP and that many of the individuals featured in the GDP videos were also featured in the GDT videos.
The Deferred Prosecution Agreement
Under the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement, Aylo has agreed to pay $1,844,952.83 to the United States. Aylo has also agreed to provide monetary payments to victims of the GDP Operators who have not otherwise already received compensation, and whose images were posted on Aylo’s platforms.
Aylo has agreed to be subject to an independent Monitor for a period of three years.
The Monitor will be tasked with assessing the company’s compliance with the terms of the DPA. The Monitor will also evaluate the strength and thoroughness of Aylo’s due diligence protocols for its content partners and content programs; the robustness of the company’s content screening and monitoring processes; the adequateness of the staffing and resources dedicated by Aylo to address, mitigate and remediate takedown requests or allegations of the presence of illegal content on the company’s platforms; and the adequacy of the company’s disclosures to relevant law enforcement authorities regarding the presence of illegal content on the company’s platforms. Aylo has agreed to cooperate fully with the Monitor, and to adopt and implement recommendations made by the Monitor, subject to the terms of the DPA.
The Office reached this resolution with Aylo based on several factors, including the nature and seriousness of the offense; the fact Aylo did not voluntarily self-disclose its criminal conduct to the Office but thereafter cooperated with the Office’s investigation; its removal of GDP and GDT content from its platforms; the nature of remedial measures Aylo has instituted across its platforms since 2020; and Aylo’s commitment to remediating and improving its compliance program and internal controls, including its agreement to a three-year monitorship. In reaching this resolution, the Office also considered the wide-ranging impact the monitorship will have on Aylo and, possibly more broadly, other adult website operators and internet safety generally.
In the event Aylo breaches the terms of the DPA, the company has agreed to be prosecuted for engaging in an unlawful monetary transaction, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s New York Field Office. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section in coordination with the Office’s Bank Integrity Task Force, which is charged with investigating and charging corporate and individual actors who launder criminal proceeds using the U.S. banking system and enforcing anti-money laundering controls under the Bank Secrecy Act. Assistant United States Attorneys Hiral Mehta, Gillian Kassner, Genny Ngai and Tara McGrath are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
AYLO HOLDINGS S.A.R.L.
NORTH EAST OUTLOOK ON ILLNESS JANUARY 1
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Welcome to the Northeast edition of Outbreak Outlook! It is only available to paid subscribers. If you wish to become a paid subscriber and access region-specific information, please click the Subscribe Now button below. Thanks for reading! -Caitlin Respiratory diseasesInfluenza-like illnessInfluenza-like illness (ILI) activity rose sharply across the Northeast over the past week. We are heading into peak season—January will likely be the worst month for symptoms like fever and cough or sore throat, so you may want to be cautious now and the weeks ahead. Northeast Region: ILI Activity
Percent of doctors visits for ILI symptoms
 New Jersey is by far the worst off. The state saw the largest increase, jumping 1.3 percentage points to 8.1%. New Hampshire and Maine also posted significant rises of 1.2 and 1.0 points to 3.7% and 3.0%, respectively. Other sizable upticks were seen in Massachusetts (+0.9 points to 4.8%), Rhode Island (+0.7 to 3.2%), Connecticut (+0.5 to 3.8%), and Pennsylvania (+0.4 to 3.3%). More modest ILI increases occurred in Vermont (+0.1 to 1.2%), which is quite a low level of activity. No Northeastern states registered a decline in influenza-like illness for the week. Northeast Region: Change in ILI Activity
Percent of doctors visits for ILI symptoms
 Covid-19Covid-19 hospitalization levels accelerated again across much of the Northeast over the past week. The weekly rate of new hospitalizations in the region is now 10, which is lower than 14 at this time last year and 23 the year prior. Still, both hospitalizations and wastewater are increasing, so there is plenty of Covid-19 going around. Northeast Region: New COVID-19 Hospitalizations
Rate per 100,000 population
 Rhode Island saw the most dramatic rise, increasing 3.3 new admissions per 100,000 to 9.0, a 58% increase. Massachusetts (+2.9 new admissions to 11.6 per 100,000), New York (+2.6 to 11.4), and New Jersey (+1.6 to 9.1) also posted concerning jumps. (Editor’s Observation: NEW YORK IS UP 30% IN COVID HOSPITALIZATONS IN THE CHART BELOW:) Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania showed sizable hospitalization increases around 1.2-1.6 per 100,000. Meanwhile, Maine declined slightly week-over-week but remains elevated at 7.6 per 100,000. Northeast Region: Change in New COVID-19 Hospitalizations
Weekly new hospitalizations per 100,000
 RSVThe Northeastern region may be just past peak RSV season, with test positivity falling for three weeks in a row. PCR positivity is now at 10%, down from a recent peak of 14%. RSV hospitalizations remain high in children ages 0-4. That trend may be improving somewhat, but it’s not a strong or clear pattern yet. Northeast Region: RSV Activity
Test Positivity, Percentage
 Maine saw a sizable increase, with test positivity rising 1.5 percentage points to 24.6%. Vermont also posted a notable RSV jump of 1.4 points to 10.0%. New Hampshire and New Jersey stayed about the same, holding around 19.3% and 11.2% RSV positivity, respectively. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania (-0.5 to 15.0%), New York (-0.5 to 10.0%), Connecticut (-0.9 to 11.2%), and Massachusetts (-0.9 to 15.6%) declined. Rhode Island lacked enough data to gauge trends. Other Respiratory + Stomach BugsI’m monitoring several other respiratory viruses and stomach bugs.
Northeast Region: Norovirus Activity
Test Positivity, Percentage
 Food recallsThe following foods are being recalled because they are contaminated. Please check your cupboards and throw out any of these items: New this week:
Previously reported:
In Other News
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2024 RESET: HOW WHITE PLAINS, WESTCHESTER AND NY START THE NEW YEAR WITH TONIGHT’S WHITE PLAINS WEEK REPORT AT 7 ON WP OPTIMUM CH 76 AND FIOS CH 45 COUNTYWIDE. THE YEAR IN REVIEW WITH JOHN BAILEY
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STATE SENATOR SHELLEY MAYER WANTS TO KNOW YOUR ISSUES — PLEASE FILL OUT HER SURVEY
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LOOK FOR THIS SURVEY IN THE MAIL.
NEW YEARS NEWS: EVEN YEAR ELECTIONS PASSED IN NY. FREE BEELINE BUSES TO AND FROM WHITE PLAINS FOR NEW YEARS EVE BALL DROP
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District 92 | News You Can Use
Happy New Year! I wish a joyful, healthy, and rewarding 2024 to all — and a very fun and safe New Year’s Eve celebration to kick it off.
Stay Safe from Drunk Driving Never drink and drive. Don’t let someone get behind the wheel if that person has been drinking. If you’re hosting a gathering, make sure everyone has a sober ride home. Call 911 if you see a drunk driver. Always wear your seat belt. It’s your best defense against impaired drivers. Recent data shows that December drunk driving deaths are near a 15-year high. Please keep in mind the dangers and consequences of driving drunk and do your part to keep our roads safe. If you’re celebrating and drinking this weekend, remember to plan ahead with a sober driver to take you home. If you’re the designated driver, it’s important to take the role seriously and don’t consume alcohol or use other drugs.
New York’s free “Have a Plan” app will allow you to designate a driver, call a cab or ride share, and to review the consequences of impaired driving. You can also use the app to report an impaired driver. “Have a Plan” is available for Apple, Android, and Windows smart phones.
Thruway Holiday Update
Most Lane Closures Suspended for the New Year’s Eve Weekend Free Coffee and Hot Tea for Thruway Travelers To ease travel during the busy holiday weekend, temporary lane closures for road and bridge construction projects on New York State highways will be suspended from 6 AM Friday, December 29, through 6 AM Tuesday, January 2. Some work may continue behind permanent concrete barriers for emergency repairs. The New York State Thruway Authority will also continue its tradition of offering free coffee and hot tea to travelers at 27 plazas along the Thruway from 11 PM New Year’s Eve through 7 AM New Year’s morning to promote safety and alert driving. Find more Thruway information and resources at thruway.ny.gov.
Metro-North Holiday Update
Extra New Year’s Eve Service on Subways and Commuter Rails Off-Peak Fares in Effect on Commuter Railroads The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is the best way to ring in the New Year in New York City as millions hit the roads to shop, eat, and travel. Most MTA agencies are operating on weekend or holiday schedules, while running additional trains for riders heading into the city for New Year’s Eve festivities. New Year’s Eve:
New Year’s Day:
For real-time service updates and information, customers can use the MTA’s official apps MYmta and TrainTime. Learn more at mta.info/guides/apps.
Bee-Line Holiday Update
Free New Year’s Eve Shuttle Service in White Plains, Yonkers, and New Rochelle There will be a special New Year’s Eve Bee-Line bus shuttle service to facilitate safe and convenient transportation for residents and visitors during the festive celebrations. All Bee-Line service remains fare-free through January 1. White Plains Shuttle:
Yonkers Shuttle:
New Rochelle Shuttle:
For more information visit Bee-Line Bus on the Westchester County website or call 914-813-7777.
Recently Enacted Legislation The Governor of New York has until the end of December to sign or veto bills that were passed by the Legislature during the calendar year. Conversely, legislation that was passed by both houses but remains unsigned by December 31 will expire without taking effect. So far this month, Governor Hochul has enacted these items from our 2023 legislative session: A.4282B – Even-Year Elections: Expands access to the ballot box and makes it easier to vote in local elections by aligning many county and town elections currently held in odd-numbered years with statewide and legislative elections that are held in even-numbered years. A.3484 – LLC Transparency Act: Creates a database of the beneficial owners of Limited Liability Corporations that is accessible to government agencies and law enforcement, allowing members of law enforcement and regulatory authorities to uncover misconduct. A.4023 – Fraud Protection for Low-Income New Yorkers: Requires stores accepting electronic benefit transfer cards to warn of skimming scams, in order to help prevent residents from falling victim to this practice and losing their SNAP benefits or cash assistance. A.7669 – Reducing Court Backlog: Increases the number of judges serving on certain courts, to help alleviate the current backlog of nearly 120,000 cases in jurisdictions across the State. A.3983 – Angelica’s Law: Decreases the number of prior license suspensions needed to qualify for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree, a class E felony; named for 14-year-old Angelica Nappi, who died in 2008 after a crash caused by a driver with multiple prior suspensions. A.5791A – Defining “Mass Shooting” in New York State: Aligns the State’s definition of “mass shooting” with that of the Federal Bureau of Investigations — as a shooting incident where there are at least four people murdered with a firearm, shotgun, or rifle — in order to facilitate emergency response measures and community access to emergency funding and resources. A.5088 – Task Force for Missing BIPOC Women and Girls: Establishes a task force on missing women and girls who are Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color — a cohort that comprised 43% of the more than 271,000 missing women and girls reported in 2022, per the FBI’s National Crime Information Center. A.7691 – Commission to Study Reparations and Racial Justice: Creates a new commission to examine the legacy of slavery and its lingering negative effects on people currently living in the State of New York, with the goal of issuing issue a report consisting of recommendations for appropriate action to address enduring inequities. A.6216B – Strengthening Rent Stabilization: Strengthens protections for rent stabilized tenants throughout New York State by making various changes to avoid improper deregulations or rent increases and improve enforcement of the rent stabilization laws. A.6115 – Lead Pipe Right to Know Act: Requires that information about the number and location of lead pipes be made easily available to the public, so that state and federal resources can be secured and efficiently targeted to support local efforts to remove all lead pipes impacting New York’s drinking water. A.2917 – Protecting Wildlife from Hunting Derbies: Prohibits the wasteful taking of certain wildlife by making certain hunting contests, competitions, tournaments, and derbies that allow for the take of large numbers of wildlife unlawful; does not ban hunting or fishing. A.7640 – Birds and Bees Protection Act: Protects New Yorkers and our insects and and other wildlife by prohibiting the use of certain neonicotinoid pesticides on treated corn, soybean, and wheat seed crops, as well as outdoor ornamental plants and turfs.
It’s been my honor to serve in this first year as your State Assemblymember. I look forward to representing the interests of our residents in the new legislative session, which opens on January 3, and I will continue to share the “news you can use” from Albany and across our communities in the year to come. If my office can be of assistance to you, please respond to this email or call 914-631-1605.
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COFFEE WITH “THE STORIES OF THE IMPOSSIBLE YEAR 2023” ON WHITE PLAINS WEEK, THE TRADITIONAL END OF THE YEAR REPORT WORLDWIDE ON WWW.WPCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG
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JOHN BAILEY AND THE NEWS
YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK
EVERY WEEK ON WHITE PLAINS WEEK
BEGINNING OUR 23 YEAR OF REPORTING ON JANUARY 1, 2024
33 STORIES IN 30 MINUTES
THE ISSUES AT LARGE
WHAT THEY MEAN
WHERE THEY ARE AT
WHAT’S AHEAD?
WHERE WHITE PLAINS IS AT NOW.
JOHN BAILEY, THE CITIZENETREPORTER
TAKES YOU MONTH BY MONTH
THROUGH THE SHOCKING YEAR OF 2023
THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE FAST-MOVING HARD-RIDING
NEWS REMUDA ROUNDUP
TONIGHT AT 8 ON FIOS 45 AND OPTIMUM CH 76 ON THE MOST IMPORTANT WPTV “PEOPLE TO BE HEARD OF THE YEAR”–STATE SENATOR SHELLEY MAYER HOSTS A HALF HOUR FORUM ON SCHOOL BULLYING AND DISRESPECT
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A REBROADCAST OF OUR PEOPLE TO BE HEARD COVERAGE OF THE JULY 18 STATE SENATOR SHELLEY MAYER’S FORUM ON RESPONDING TO HATE IN OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR SCHOOLS, AND NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR
SEE IT ANYTIME ON WWW.WPCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG
State Cuts Cost of Living Increase for Caregivers of the Disabled. Please help the Angels of Our Time
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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. DECEMBER 28, 2023
Good afternoon,
All parents worry that their children are happy and safe. We have five children, but the worries for two of our children, our twins Lara and Bradley, are of different concern.
Lara and Bradley cannot talk, cannot walk, are virtually blind, and cannot feed themselves. Although physically, they can do almost nothing, they understand so much.
While not a minute goes by, we don’t worry about them; we know Lara and Bradley are safe and well cared for because of Richmond Community Services.
Richmond Community Services operates residences for individuals with a wide range of disabilities. Richmond also provides day programs where our children, like many others, are encouraged to learn and grow to the highest possible level of independence and receive loving attention from a fantastic staff. We have always felt so grateful & comforted that this incredible organization supports Lara and Bradley.
Every year, Richmond must rely more and more on charitable donations due to government funding cutbacks. Recently, Richmond was advised the expected COLA increase was halved, resulting in a loss of $1.7 million in critical aid directly affecting the care of the vulnerable population Richmond serves to protect.
How can we allow funding cuts needed to help the disabled segment of our population just because so many are not physically able to stand or speak for themselves? This is the reason we are again writing to ask for your help. We will continue to fight for Bradley and Lara and all the others fortunate enough to be supported by Richmond, helping them reach the highest possible level of independence.
Please help. You can donate online at https://richmondcommserv.org/give-now or mail contributions to: RCS Foundation, 272 N. Bedford Road, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549.
Our deepest thanks and heartfelt appreciation,
Terri & Steve Schottenfeld
Richmond Community Services Foundation Board
And our twins Lara and Bradley and all their peers Richmond supports, thank you too…
FORCE OF INFECTION: WHAT’S GOING AROUND THE COUNTRY
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Hi — I hope you and yours are staying well as we round out 2023. I wasn’t going to post this week but checking the data is such a longstanding habit that I couldn’t resist a quick update. Briefly: Influenza-like illness is increasing quickly, with 5.1% of visits to the doctor for fever and cough or sore throat, up from 4.4% the week prior. The entire Southern region and most of the Western region are seeing very high levels of activity. New England is also heating up, with New York City in the very high category and other jurisdictions at moderate or high. The Midwest still looks pretty good, but activity is definitely increasing there as well.
Outpatient influenza-like illness activity. Source: CDC Covid-19 activity is also rising. The number of new weekly hospitalizations has climbed to over 25,000, up from a recent low of around 15,000 (note: this data is as of December 16, so it’s a little out of date). However, we are still far below last winter’s peak. The Midwestern and Northeastern regions have the highest rates of hospitalization, and those regions also have the highest wastewater concentration. People over the age of 70 are still at highest risk of hospitalization.
Source: CDC RSV activity is still high across the country. That’s all for today, just wanted to make sure you have the latest. See you next year! |
