MARCH 9–In an aggressive bid to entice prospective “sex tourists,” the Department of Homeland Security last year launched an undercover web site that purported to arrange trips from the U.S. to Canada, where clients could engage in sexual activity with minors, The Smoking Gun has learned.
The “Precious Treasure Holiday Company” web site was active until a few weeks ago when its Massachusetts-based web hosting firm removed the site from its servers, apparently in response to a complaint about its content. Now, visitors to precioustreasureholidaycompany.com are greeted with the message, “This site has been suspended.” After a year online, the DHS undercover site may have fallen victim to its own sleazy, overt come-on. As seen at right, the site’s front page carried three symbols that an FBI intelligence bulletin has identified as being used by pedophiles. Additionally, the site’s acronym, PTHC, is an allusion to “preteen hardcore” pornography. The site’s carefully misspelled motto–“We Help Make Your Fantasy’s Come True!”–also does little to mask its illicit intentions.
An account executive with the hosting firm, who appeared unaware that “Precious Treasure Holiday Company” was a government operation, said that following a site’s suspension an internal investigation is launched. Upon the review’s completion, a site is either reinstated or terminated. The executive, Jason Crawford, added that if a customer’s site is found to contain illicit material like child pornography, the FBI is contacted.
[Five years ago, FBI agents concocted a similar sting, launching “Wicked Adventures Travel,” a web site purporting to offer pedophiles "exotic excursions" to the Philippines and Thailand. That operation yielded at least one felony conviction.]
I don’t really have a problem with the tactic, but is this a job for DHS, or are they looking to recruit?
DHS is sticking their hands in every thing. And you are right this isn’t one of the things they should be sticking it in. This is clearly within FBI juristiction
DHS=SS
These kinds of stings make me believe law enforcement is lazy.
Have they looked into the TSA yet?
They let guns “walk” into Mexico…have they let pedophiles walk into Canada…
Congress must hold a hearing on both these events.
The most corrupt, criminal and immoral regime ever.
Make it an island destination. Plane lands, you walk down the steps and head into the small airport. Turns out there is noone at the airport, and while you were walking the plane takes off.
#2 hhopper got it right.
DHS is issuing grants to small towns and parishes in LA to install cameras. Good citizens have nothing to fear naturally.
http://tinyurl.com/4he95cf
An $86,500 state Homeland Security anti-terrorism grant as well as $400 from the Sheriff’s Office financed the purchase and installation of the equipment….
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office leaders declined to discuss the cameras they operate and would not provide information on when they were first installed or the total number set up throughout the parish.
Coming from the people who want to look at and feel your junk at airports!!!!!
Looks like their cover is blown – har.
Agree this is a waste of money and a questionable assignment for the DHS.
As a Canadian, I never understood one dichotomy of Canadian law. Due to our French population, we maintained a very low age of consent until recently (14). But if you were caught paying for sex with someone between the age of 14 and 18 you were considered to be guilty of child abuse. Now I understand your average 14 year old is not willingly a prostitute.
I don’t like that a country (the US) can charge one of their citizens for breaking one of their laws (even a Canadian citizen) in a country where it isn’t a crime.
So using a drug in a foreign country where it is legal, and then being arrested in the States. The same goes for sex tourism to some extend.
So when will they piss test everyone crossing into the US to see if they have used a drug illegal in the US, and then arresting them?
You could extend it.
In Canada you could advertise holidays in the USA where you can shoot a gun – then arrest the potential terrorists.
Advertise holidays in Britain where you could drive on the wrong side of the road, or Germany where you can drive any speed you like – and arrest them for dangerous driving.
A bunch of hillbillies in West Virginia tried this too offering sex with miners.
At the foundation of our civil liberties lies the principle that denies to government officials an exceptional position before the law and which subjects them to the same rules of conduct that are commands to the citizen.
The government is the potent omnipresent teacher. For good or ill it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. To declare that the end justifies the means — to declare that the government may commit crimes — would bring terrible retribution.
How has this got anything to do with
Der Homelund?
Fucking Nazi Fed shits.
Well seeing how wives and girlfriends go on and on to their friends how they husbands act like little children, does that then mean most women in the US are paedophiles?
Food for thought.
Cursor_
I am torn. While I find it worthwhile to remove pedo’s from society by almost any means. How is this related to the job of homeland security. I don’t think Al Quaida is into little girls or boys.
I have never been comfortable with “sting” operations. In my mind it doesn’t matter if they would have done it anyway, they are doing it because you are enticing them.
1. If something is against the law for Citizen X, why should that law not be enforced by Government X whenever it has control of Citizen X? If you want to smoke Pot in Belgium, then stay in Belgium. The law either expresses a valid restraint on behavior, or its a game. And that’s why Buckley supported legalization of drugs==because he saw it was all a game.
2. Who cares what arm of the law enforces a law?
3. I thought “all” the law enforcement agencies were within DHS? Supposed to help communication and data sharing.
4. All sting operations are good and valid as it avoids creating/allowing a victim to be harmed to begin with.
5. What “crimes” do government engage in when operating sting operations? I would think the missing element is “intent.”
It may be that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is the agency inside of DHS that is running the sting. I believe they were also responsible for taking down websites for piracy back around Thanksgiving.
Looking at the court order link from “The Smoking Gun” shows reference to DHS-HSI. Googling this gives you a government website for HOMELAND SECURITY STUDIES AND ANALYSIS INSTITUTE.
http://homelandsecurity.org/
Please go to their site and click links in the “About Us” section, especially History and Mission Areas.
This is from the Governance:
Governance
The Institute is a not-for-profit center that operates under an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract vehicle between DHS and Analytic Services Inc. We are devoted exclusively to supporting the homeland security mission. Our primary sponsor, the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, designates an Executive Agent to ensure that we are used for our intended purposes. The Executive Agent reviews and approves the Institute’s research plan and provides day-to-day oversight of the organization.
After reading about this Institute referenced in my earlier post, and it is my understanding these are the people behind setting up the website, my conclusion is that this Institute needs to continually show it’s usefulness to keep the money rolling in.
A wise friend told me “Just because it is not-for-profit, doesn’t mean somebody isn’t profiting off of it.”