If you’ve been keeping up with the recent news, you likely know that Rentboy.com CEO Jeffrey Hurant was indicted on Wednesday for promoting prostitution. But before you condemn the man (and his business) to hell, it may be worth taking a deeper dive into what happened so you can have all the facts before passing judgment.Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy.com . While you can still find Hurant’s Rentboy.com profile advertising his services and those of escorts all over the world, the site has been shut down after a recent law enforcement crackdown targeting online prostitution rings.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that Hurant, 50, and six other employees at Rentboy.com had been indicted for promoting prostitution . The seventh employee was charged with money laundering (we’ll get to him in a minute). The other six employees have already pleaded guilty to the charges against them. Hurant is scheduled to appear in federal court later today to face the charges against him. He’s currently facing up to 20 years in prison, although his lawyer says his client is looking at a “modest” sentence because he has no prior criminal record, doesn’t believe Hurant kept any of the prostitution profits for himself and believes he will be granted bail pending sentencing.
7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Rentboy Com Ceo Business Indicted :
1. The CEO of Rentboy.com Was Recently Married
Long before he was ever pointed out by law enforcement as the head of “the world’s preeminent male escort website,” Hurant was living in Brooklyn with his husband, Kurt Brown. The New York Daily News reports that Hurant and Brown were married on June 26, 2007—a little more than a year before Rentboy.com launched. The couple ran an advertising company together until 2008 when they opened Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy.com . The site began as a way for escorts to advertise their services online and charge for them.
2. The Site Was Targeted by the FBI Before Hurant Took It Over
Rentboy.com got its start in 2004, when Hurant and Brown teamed up with former New York City police officer Michael Gill to help escorts advertise their services online. Back then, the site was not as widely used as it had become by 2008. In August of that year, The Village Voice ran an article entitled “Male Prostitution” (the site is still online today), revealing that Rentboy was the world’s largest male escort advertising site.
3. The Company Performed Well From 2008 to 2015
In April 2009, Rentboy.com was profiled by Forbes magazine as one of the best business ideas that year. By this time, Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy.com was making about $10 million a year in revenue.
4. The Business Was Profitable (and Then Some)
While the 2009 Village Voice exposé of Rentboy had nothing but good things to say about the company, The Daily Beast paints a different picture of how the site was doing business. In March 2010, Rentboy.com filed for bankruptcy protection, according to a story in the now-defunct New York Post . Despite the filing, the company continued to grow and expand under Hurant’s direction, reaching a peak of $20 million in annual revenue by 2012. This included $12 million in gross profits at that time and an additional $8.7 million in net profits after expenses and tax payments were made.
5. The Company Expanded Internationally
Under Hurant’s direction, Rentboy expanded beyond its base of New York City escorts into other countries as well. In 2012, it launched an Australian version of the site and added Canada and the United Kingdom to its offerings. Rentboy.com was also a major sponsor of New York City’s Gay Pride Parade.
6. Rentboy.com Was Involved in LGBT Rights Activism
Back in 2008, before Hurant married his current husband, The New York Times reported that the couple were planning to use some of their annual profits from Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy com ceo business indicted is no longer available on Rentboy.com to start a foundation aimed at increasing acceptance of homosexuality and improving gay rights worldwide.
7. The CEO’s Community Is Coming to His Defense
Hurant and Rentboy have a long history of helping people in the LGBT community. The Daily Beast cites an interview Hurant gave to Frontiers in 2008, in which he said that the site was about “making a difference for people who don’t have any other options.”
