The Feds Raided the New York City Headquarters of the Largest Male Escort Site

On Tuesday morning, federal agents and New York City police officers descended upon the headquarters of the internet portal that bills itself as "the World's Largest Gay Escort and Massage Site." Seven people, including company CEO Jeffrey Hurant, were arrested as part of an alleged money laundering and prostitution scheme, as NBC-New York reported.

In the past, advertisements for Rentboy.com have been careful to clarify that they are not for sex, suggesting instead that the men on the site were merely offering up companionship or body-rubs. However, a cache of the site shows that you can—or at least could—select dudes based on categories like "cock."

Perhaps it's unsurprising, then, that a federal indictment alleges that the company was making money off of sex. More specifically, its owners are charged with conspiring to violate the Travel Act, which criminalizes going from state to state to commit certain offenses. In this case, the Act gave the feds the ability to go after Rentboy for promoting prostitution.

"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," acting United States Attorney Kelly T. Currie said in a statement.

Rentboy was founded in 1997 as the first-ever all-male escort site. Users pay a minimum of $59.95 per month to place advertisements there, and between 2010 and 2015, the service raked in more than $10 million, according to a press release put out the Justice Department.

The others arrested this morning were Michael Sean Belman, Clint Calero, Edward Lorenz Estanol, Shane Lukas, Diana Milagros Mattos, and Marco Soto Decker. If found guilty, each defendant could see up to five years in prison and pay a $250,000 fine.

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