ABC15 news article by Zach Crenshaw, “Uncovered and Unclothed,” featuring Brad Rideout as an expert, has been nominated for a 2023 Rocky Mountain Emmy.
In the summer of 2022, ABC15 published a news story by reporter Zach Crenshaw regarding a Flagstaff undercover massage parlor investigation gone wrong. Known federally as “Operation High Country Hydra,” the investigation between Flagstaff PD and Homeland Security had two Flagstaff police officers go undercover into a local massage parlor in an attempt to uncover a human trafficking operation.
Both officers allowed themselves to be fondled after fully undressing, afterwards expressing confusion about the extent to which they were permitted to go as part of their undercover sting, and explaining that prosecutors had given them the go-ahead.
Brad Rideout, CEO and attorney of Rideout Law Group, was interviewed as an expert on the matter for the ABC15 article. According to Mr. Rideout, “In Arizona, you cannot exchange money for sex acts while on duty. It is a crime. So the officer[s] in this case could be charged with trafficking and they are not.”
Although not involved in the case, Brad Rideout’s expert input was sought as a result of his experience handling hundreds of prostitution cases throughout his law career.
Rideout further stated that “Women who work in massage parlors are not a commodity, they are people. They need to be treated like domestic violence victims, not drugs. If you’re engaging eight separate times and to try and have sex with victims, you are engaged in trafficking. So the officer[s] in this case could be charged with trafficking and they are not.”
To read the full ABC15 article written by Zach Crenshaw, click here.
The article was nominated for a 2023 Rocky Mountain Emmy award under the “Investigative Multiple Reports” category. For the full list of nominees, visit here.
The Rocky Mountain Emmys are a part of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter. Emmy awards will be announced at the Emmy Gala on November 4th, 2023 in Phoenix.
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