David Elms: The Most Powerful Man In Prostitution

In the world of online prostitution, if you’re a hooker not on TheEroticReview.com, you might as well go f**k yourself. The Site, which has 500,000 to 1 million unique visitors a month, allows johns to rate their experiences with particular prostitutes from 1 to 10, write reviews for individual prostitutes and brothels, and find exactly the girl they’d like to, um, hire…As the industry moves from the street corner to the PC for generating business, The Erotic Review’s power to make or break a working girl has become absolute.

But with the Site’s owner, David Elms, on trial for being caught in a hotel room with a pile of coke, a loaded handgun and a prostitute, the future of The Erotic Review is on the line, along with the entire sex industry. “In dozens of conversations and in postings on the Internet in recent weeks, prostitutes have expressed concern that if The Erotic Review goes offline it could hurt business,” reports The New York Times. But that doesn’t mean they want Elms to keep his power.

From the article:

One escort agency that was banned from the site has accused Mr. Elms of antitrust violations, suggesting that he abuses his power over the sex trade. Other critics say he accepts, and sometimes demands, sex or money to promote certain women and agencies.

While claims of “corruption” may come as no surprise in already (mostly) illegal industry, Elms claims his reasons for starting The Erotic Review weren’t so nefarious. As he told MSNBC in a 2006 interview, Elms began the Site to protect customers like himself. “I was getting ripped off,” he said. “There was no way to hold people accountable for their actions.”

Unfortunately for him (and everyone else involved), the law might start holding Elms accountable for his actions, leaving the fate of The Erotic Review in jeopardy.  So if you’re looking to start a shady, mildly illegal business, there might soon be a void to fill!

(Image source: J. Emilio Flores and NYTimes.com)