Former Rentboy CEO is arranging a plea deal
Jeffrey Hurant's lawyers are working out details of the deal, without which he could spend 20 years in prison
The former CEO of escort website Rentboy.com is close to reaching a plea deal with prosecutors, reports Reuters. Lawyers for Jeffrey Hurant filed a letter in federal court in Brooklyn saying that they were finishing up the details of the plea agreement and asking for a hearing for the week of Aug. 29.
In January, Hurant was indicted on three counts, including promoting prostitution and money laundering. The letter does not explain which charges Hurant or Easy Rent Systems, Inc., the company behind Rentboy.com, would plead guilty to. Without a plea deal, Hurant could potentially face up to 20 years in prison.
Both Hurant’s lawyer, Noam Biale, and a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the matter.
Hurant was arrested along with six employees last August in a joint FBI and New York Police Department raid of the company’s headquarters. After public outcry from LGBT advocates, who questioned why Rentboy.com was targeted over other similar sites, charges against the six employees were eventually dropped.
Hurant founded Rentboy.com in 1996, targeting primarily gay men. The site would allow escorts or masseurs to advertise their services online, and other men would pay membership fees to contact the escorts or masseurs on an individual basis.
The website carried several disclaimers saying that the escorts were intended for companionship and not sexual services. But prosecutors in Brooklyn insist that the site was simply promoting prostitution.
From 2010 to 2015, Rentboy.com attracted more than 500,000 daily visitors, on average, and generated more than $10 million in revenue.
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