Excellent story.

For the complete story, including great pictures, go to The Panama Guide link and scroll down through the news stories until you find this one, "American Convicted in Human Trafficking for Prostitution Case".

www.panama-guide.com

The Panama Guide is a great source of breaking news & information about Panama written in English. Don Winner (the editor/operator of this site) is an Air Force retiree living in Panama as a expat. I am very impressed with his Panama Guide as I read it almost daily so that I can stay on top of what is happening in Panama. Then sometimes I forward what I learn back to our club.

This is a very interesting article about a man I met while in Panama...Mr. Victor Politis. I walked past his club, The Crystal Moon, one afternoon while I was strolling down Central Ave doing a little shopping. He told me he had just opened the club (this was a while back). As we chatted I told him about our club...Club Hombre. He seemed to be a nice guy...an American business man...a man doing business in what is our hobby. Although I never condone forced prostitution with children or adults and I do not condone forced human trafficking at all...I do not see what is wrong with employing women from Colombia or Dominican Republic who know very well what they are doing and are willing to do what they do for money.

I think Don Winner does a good job capturing the issue, although because he is in the Public Eye he must remain politically sesitive...he does point-out that Mr. Victor Politis has been very open with his records...he has nothing to hide.

Since I know Victor and he knows me (by another name)...I support him in that I believe he is innocent of the charges that he was forcing women to be prositutes.

As you will read, Don does a great job capturing the facts that really vindicate Victor.

AlecJamer

Welcome to Panama Guide
Saturday, January 20 2007 @ 04:04 PM EST

American Convicted in Human Trafficking for Prostitution Case
Wednesday, January 17 2007 @ 07:48 PM EST
Contributed by: Don Winner
Views: 606


Victor Politis a 55-year-old citizen of the United States proprietor of the Cristal Moon Gentleman's Club in the Calidonia section of Panama City. The Cristal Moon is a bar and restaurant, but more than anything else it's a strip club. In May of 2005 he was accused of human trafficking for the purpose of prostitution after two girls filed a formal complaint, charging that Politis took their passports and plane tickets and was forcing them to work in the sex industry against their will, charges which Mr. Politis denies. There are several other establishments operating in Panama under the same rules such as Elite II and Le Palace. Mr. Politis also owns the "Feria Americana" with stores in Calidonia and Los Pueblos, and specializes in importing products fm the United States that he buys at closeouts, repossessions, or wholesalers to be resold locally. Yesterday the 11th Criminal Court convicted Politis of the crime of "trata de blancas" (the trafficking of people for the purpose of prostitution) and sentenced him to five years in prison. The only thing I could find on this case was a couple of old bits in The Bulletin (El Siglo) when he was first charged. This case made headlines again yesterday when the conviction and sentence was announced, and I got interested in it because an English speaking expatriate and businessman in Panama. And when I started writing up the (short) piece fm news report, I realized that I didn't have any information fm the "other side" so I contact Mr. Politis to set up an interview.

Background on the Business: Prostitution is legal in Panama (sort of, but not really.) Panama's office of immigration grants these clubs special permission to hire girls to work as "alternadoras." Now, exactly how do you translate that word? Good question. Literally it has its roots in "alternate" so the implication is "girls who alternate or take turns." It's most often translated as "escorts" which is probably the closest description of what's happening. This is one of those areas of Panamanian law where they want to be able to bring in young girls to work as strippers for the sex industry but they don't want to legalize or acknowledge that they are effectively making prostitution legal.

Here's How It Works: The girls arrive in Panama as tourists. They have already exchanged email with a business owner and have an agreement to come here to work as strippers. The girls who work in this international sex trade know exactly what they are doing and what the "deal" is. They tend to migrate to countries where they can make the most money. In Panama they are most often Colombians or Dominicans. And as a matter of fact if you would like to come to Panama to work as a Professional Entertainer at the Cristal Moon you can contact them through their website and exchange email with the owner, send him pictures, etc. The girls get off the plane as tourists and they can stay for 90 days legally. During that time-frame they initiate a legal paperwork process which includes a written employment contract with the business. They apply to have their immigration status changed to "alternadora" and there are a series of requirements they have to fulfill, such as a medical examination, a work contract, they have to pay income taxes, etc. The short answer is that what Mr. Victor Politis is doing is perfectly legal under Panamanian law.

Holding Plane Tickets: It is a requirement under the Panamanian system that girls who are approved under the "alternadora" system have a valid plane ticket to return to their country of origin that is valid for one year. The idea being that they can be returned at any time. Inspectors and auditors go through the Cristal Moon's records with regularity and he has (and he showed me) a file folder on all of the girls that are working for him. He showed me the signed contracts, immigration records, airplane tickets, and all of the documents and records required for this business. He didn't try to hide anything, and basically said "pick one" fm the file cabinet. On other words he didn't care what I was looking at, because he (apparently) has nothing to hide. The plane tickets are actually electronic tickets and the girls can fly anytime they want by simply providing their name and reservation number to the ticket counter. Mr. Politis does not keep any of the girls' passports, but rather has a photocopy of the picture page of the passport and the documents on their "alternadora" visa paperwork on file, which is required by law.

Is The Cristal Moon a Whorehouse? Nope. There are no rooms, and all areas of the bar are public. Customers go to the bar, watch the shows, and if they want to leave with one of the girls then what they do between consenting adults is up to them. The bar charges "bar fine" or a fee that allows the employee to leave early for the night. It's a wink and nod system and everyone knows what's going on, and no one cares.

The Massage Parlors: There are massage parlors all over town that basically operate on the same kind of system. Customers who walk in the front door pay a base fee to the establishment owner, which covers the cost of the "massage" and a room. Whatever happens between the customer and the girl is between them. These girls also work under the "alternadora" system, or they use Panamanian girls which is cheaper and easier.

Panama Getting Pressure For "Trafficking in People" The Embassy of the United States maintains pressure on Panama to try to get them to reduce this kind of activity. They released this report in June of 2006 and classified Panama as a Tier 2 Country:

Press Releases 2006
Trafficking in Persons Report 2006 - Panama
PANAMA (TIER 2)
June 5, 2006

"Panama is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual and labor exploitation. Women and children are trafficked primarily within Panama for sexual exploitation. There are also credible reports of women and children trafficked fm Colombia and the Dominican Republic to and through Panama for sexual exploitation. Panamanian women have been trafficked fm Panama to Jamaica, Guatemala, and Mexico. Child domestic laborers who may be trafficking victims are transported fm the western provinces to Panama City."

"The Government of Panama does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. During the reporting year, the government intensified public awareness campaigns and stepped up efforts to work with NGOs to improve services for trafficking victims. The government made some progress in its efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, though there were no convictions reported during the reporting period. The government should allocate additional resources for law enforcement to receive training and more vigorously conduct trafficking investigations and prosecutions in the capital and other parts of the country. It should also ensure that foreign workers are informed of their rights and the services available to assist and protect trafficking victims."

"Prosecution - The Government of Panama made some progress in investigating and prosecuting trafficking crimes over the reporting period. New investigations of the trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation increased fm three in 2004 to seven in 2005. Panama’s 2004 anti-trafficking law focuses on commercial sexual exploitation and assigns penalties of five to 10 years in prison. This law has not yet resulted in any trafficking convictions, but three prosecutors in the Attorney General’s Office have been designated to handle trafficking cases and four cases have moved to various stages of prosecution. Eight Panamanian National Police officers in Darien Province remained under investigation subsequent to their arrest in March 2005 for rape, commercial sexual exploitation, and corruption of minors. The police anti-trafficking unit in the capital operated with a staff of three officers and inadequate resources. Police officers in other parts of the country had insufficient training to conduct trafficking investigations."

"Protection - The Panamanian government made modest efforts to assist trafficking victims. Most services were concentrated in or near Panama City. Anti-trafficking laws require the government to provide legal, medical, and psychological services for victims. The government operated a police hot-line for victims of crime and a Ministry of Social Development hot-line for reporting abuse. A unit at police headquarters in Panama City provided medical, psychological, social, legal, and translation services to assist victims of crime. The government also referred victims to NGOs and provided limited financial support for NGOs working with at-risk children and victims of abuse and violence, including trafficking victims. The government operated shelters, but they were not designated for trafficking victims. Juvenile trafficking victims were placed with foster families or referred to a government or NGO shelter. Local businesses use the "alternadora" visa system to bring in mostly Colombian women for Panama’s legalized sex trade. Panamanian authorities failed to confirm how many "alternadora" permits were issued or renewed or whether any applicants were interviewed to provide information to them about laws against trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation or to identify indications of trafficking. The National Migration Service contended that illegal migrants who were found in Panama’s commercial sex trade were screened and determined not to be trafficking victims before they were deported. However, authorities were not able to confirm how many women were deported or how many of them were interviewed by officials trained to detect trafficking."

"Prevention - The government made additional progress in prevention activities during the reporting period. CONAPREDES, the anti-trafficking coordinating agency, launched a poster, radio, and television campaign against commercial sexual exploitation that included some warnings directed at adult males who seek commercial sex with minors. CONAPREDES also produced and distributed handouts on commercial sexual exploitation and worked with the National Council of Reporters to educate journalists about trafficking issues and enlist their support in raising public awareness."
Watching the Politis Case Carefully: The organizations that are watching and reporting on what's happening in Panama are aware of and following Mr. Politis' case. In fact, the US State Department issued a detailed report on the sex trade in Panama in May of 2006 which specifically cited details fm Mr. Politis's case:

"In May authorities arrested and charged with procurement a foreign national who owned a club with female dancers. At year's end the defendant was free on $15 thousand bail and was required to remain in the country while the case was under investigation. In May the Immigration Department and the PTJ sex crimes unit investigated a massage club where Colombian workers complained that the owners seized their passports. In many of the cases investigated for possible trafficking violations, defendants alleged that the purported trafficking victim could not have been trafficked because that person entered the country as a visitor and then applied for an alternadora visa. The holder of an alternadora visa is legally permitted to engage in commercial sexual activities. During the year despite opposition fm the attorney generals office, the Immigration Department reinstated the alternadora visa."
Back To The Specific Charges: First of all let me say for the record that I don't make value judgements in these kinds of situations. Strictly speaking this is a business. Mr. Politis applied for and received all of the proper permits and has (he showed me) a special permit fm Panama's Immigration Office specifying that he has 50 cupos (slots or spaces) to bring in girls under the "alternadora" visa. By law, they can't start working until all of their paperwork is in place. They have to have health inspections, legal documents, and their immigration status has to be changed fm tourist to "alternadora" before they can work a single day. If you're going to go into this kind of business, or any kind of business for that matter, you're going to make sure that you are in complete compliance with all of the applicable laws. So the question remains - if Politis is following the law, then what the hell happened?

Money Up Front: The two girls who filed this complaint are Colombians. They had been in email contact with Politis prior to arriving and knew exactly what they were doing and why. They arrived a tourists and applied for "alternadora" status. Politis paid for their plane tickets, legal fees, and all of their expenses while they were in Panama. Now to put it all in context this was all happening exactly when he was about to open his club for the first time. According to Politis, these two girls basically took advantage of the situation and got Politis to "lend" them more money up front, with the understanding that they were going to work for him and basically work off the debt. They got into him for about $2,000 each and apparently decided that it would be easier to just hop a plane and head back to Colombia. So, they filed their official complaints and were deported back to Colombia two days later. They had their plane tickets and passports at the time, so they were not here against their will or being held in any way. They basically saw an opportunity and bailed out.

But It's A Criminal Complaint: The complaint they filed before they left is a criminal complaint which is prosecuted by the state (not by the individuals.) Politis later contacted the girls who made sworn statements in Colombia that were notarized in Colombia and authenticated by the Panamanian consulate in Colombia. Those letters written by the two girls who filed the original complaints basically said the Mr. Politis had not done anything wrong and that it was all a big mistake. The judge in the case did not admit those letters into evidence.

Free on a $15,000 Bond: Mr. Politis is currently free in Panama on a $15,000 bond. He has applied for and been granted permission to travel to the United States twice for business reasons. Both times he left and returned, and says that he has no intention of abandoning the businesses he's worked for seven years to build, and that he will stay and fight his way through the appeals process.

Confused As Hell: When we were talking yesterday the "what the hell" feeling ran through the entire conversation. I found these two State Department documents this morning, after I talked to Mr. Politis last night. Notice that the state department calls him a "foreign national who owned a club..." The report fails to mention that the foreign national is fm the United States, and that there are other citizens of the United States that are owners or investors in the other strip clubs in Panama.

Selective Enforcement: Remember Tom Yust, the guy who was fishing off the coast of Coiba when the Panamanian government decided to start enforcing an environmental protection law? They raided his boat and took all of his equipment even though there were other (Panamanian owned) boats in the area. In this case there are lots of other places where the Panamanian government could (if they wanted to) start to crack down on the international sex trade industry and they could start with Panamanians. But since the US State Department is pressuring them to clean up their act, what better place to start than by throwing a US citizen in La Joyia for five years.

Lot's Of Holes In the Case: I have not examinded the details in the legal file but I will eventually. According to Mr. Politis there are all kinds of legal errors, ommissions, and problems with the file. It seemed, according to Politis, that the prosecutor's office and judge had simply decided that it was time to produce a conviction, so they did. Of course Politis is going to appeal the decision to the Superior Court level, a process that takes at least six months and which can take as long as a year or more. I asked my criminal lawyer Lic. Melvis Ramos about this case, and his first question was "which court?" When I told him it was the 11th he said that particular judge has a tendency to be kind of like a "hanging judge" in the Wild West and leans towards convicting everyone and letting it get sorted out at the appeals level. She has a reputation for quick convictions, which explains a lot.

The Club is Open for Business: I was in there last night. It's a very nice place compared to some of the other dives that are out there in other areas of the city. And there are Colombian hotties shaking it for a living, just like they are in a thousand cities and towns in the United States and in strip clubs all over the world. So what? Once you get past the ethical and moral issues, you get to issues of law. And in the end Politis is a businessman who has invested his time, money and effort to create and grow a business within the legal boundries and guidelines established in the Republic of Panama.

They Know What They Are Doing: The Comparative Criminology web page: "According to a report by the NGO International Human Rights Law Institute, trafficking assumed a cover of legality under a visa program for "alternadoras" (escorts) managed by the Directorate of Migration and the Ministry of Labor. In 2000 more than 700 women fm Colombia were granted such visas for temporary work, stating the club or massage parlor where they intended to work, so most came with the explicit intention of prostitution rather than being deceived with promises of other employment." There's no doubt about it. The "I didn't know" argument only holds up with someone who wants to hear it. Can someone explain to me what "...assumed a cover of legality..." means? Either it's legal, or it's not. Prostitution is legal in Panama. The government would rather know who the girls are and take measures to protect their customers fm AIDS by testing them, giving them condoms, and educating them on how to protect themselves fm infection.

This Is The High End of the Sex Market: Want to get down and dirty? There are little "hole in the wall" whore houses all over the place. They are not legal. The girls are not registered or tested. Often times they are underaged and are being exploited. In the case of Mr. Politis the co-conspirators are the national and municipal governments of Panama who have issued all of the permits, inspections, and health certificates, and who are allowing him to operate under the law. If Panama really wanted to do something to stop this they could in a heartbeat by simply revoking all of the "alternadora" visas and deporting all of the girls. They are easy to find because they are reported and registered. My point is, the problem is not at the high end of the scale, but rather down in the seedy underbelly of the back streets and alleys, with the girls (both Panamanians and foreigners) who are putting their lives on the line for a few bucks, and risking the general public health at the same time.

Push Buttons and Casual Sex Spots: There are places all over town designed to cater to the casual sex trade. Panama's famous "push buttons" are built for annonymous sex, literally designed to allow people to "come and go" (sorry) without being seen. There are little cheap hotels and "pensiones" all over the place that charge by the hour. The sex trade is alive and well in Panama, and it has been for a long time.

Sweeps Week: Ok, I wasn't planning this, but I here-by declare this to be sweeps week for January 2007. You should email this article to your friends as an example of the deeply penetrating investigative journalism we are famous for here at Panama-Guide.com. I mean, there are all kinds of people coming down to Panama to invest money, open businesses, and engage in economic activity. If you can't count on being able to follow the laws as written then what can you count on? And besides, do you think I would pass up the chance to do an article about strippers? Don't count on it...

Maybe they will be censoring the pictures down there soon. Maybe we need another lawyer. Very informative post on the influence of politics in the life of average citizens.

Man did this guy get fucked over. 5 years in a Panamanian prison because two cunts wanted to bail on some money they owed him.