U.S.

Department of Justice
Kelly T. Currie
Acting United States Attorney
Eastern District of New York
271 Cadman Plaza East
Brooklyn, New York 11201

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 25, 2015

Contact:
Nellin McIntosh
United States Attorneys Office
(718) 254-6323

PRESS RELEASE
LARGEST ONLINE MALE ESCORT SERVICE RAIDED
Rentboy.com CEO and Six Current and Former Employees Arrested
A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging
the CEO of Rentboy.com, Jeffrey Hurant, and six Rentboy.com employees with conspiring to
violate the Travel Act by promoting prostitution. The defendants were arrested this morning and
are scheduled to appear before United States Magistrate Judge Marilyn Go at the United States
Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, New York.
The charges were announced by Kelly T. Currie, Acting United States Attorney
for the Eastern District of New York; Glenn Sorge, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York;
and William J. Bratton, Commissioner, New York City Police Department.
As alleged in the complaint, Rentboy.com is a male escort advertising site
founded in 1997 which hosts thousands of paid advertisements. While the site has disclaimers
stating that the advertisements are for companionship and not sexual services, Rentboy.com is
designed primarily for advertising illegal prostitution. The website charges subscribers a
minimum monthly fee of $59.95 and up to several hundred dollars to advertise sexual services.
Once the fee is paid, subscribers can select from a number of categories created by Rentboy.com
the sexual services they are willing to perform and the price charged. Subscribers can also
include their physical descriptions and provide links to another website where their sexual
services are rated by prior customers. Between 2010 and 2015, Rentboy.com had over $10
million in gross proceeds.
As alleged, Rentboy.com attempted to present a veneer of legality, when in fact
this internet brothel made millions of dollars from the promotion of illegal prostitution, stated
Acting United States Attorney Currie. Mr. Currie thanked the Drug Enforcement
Administrations Field Office in New York, and the District Attorneys Office for New York
County for their assistance in the investigation.

HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Sorge stated, The facilitation and promotion
of prostitution offenses across state lines and international borders is a federal crime made even
more egregious when its blatantly advertised by a global criminal enterprise, said Acting
Special Agent in Charge Sorge of HSI New York. HSI will use its unique authorities to disrupt
and dismantle such organizations and seize the millions of dollars in illegal proceeds they
generate.
As alleged, Rentboy.com profited from the promotion of prostitution despite
their claim that their advertisements were not for sexual services. Thanks to the detectives,
agents, and prosecutors of the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Eastern District involved in this
investigation, these individuals will be held accountable for running this racket, said Police
Commissioner Bratton.
In addition, earlier today the government served warrants authorizing the seizure
of over $1.4 million of alleged criminal proceeds from six bank accounts. The government also
took steps to restrain the domain name www.rentboy.com.
The charges in the complaint are merely allegations, and the defendants are
presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted each defendant faces up to five
years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.
The governments case is being prosecuted by the Offices International Narcotics
and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Tyler Smith and Melanie
Hendry are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
JEFFREY HURANT
Age: 50
New York, NY
MICHAEL SEAN BELMAN
Age: 47
New York, NY
CLINT CALERO
Age: 48
New York, NY
EDWARD LORENZ ESTANOL
Age: 23
New York, NY

SHANE LUKAS
Age: 41
New York, NY
DIANA MILAGROS MATTOS
Age: 43
Queens, NY
MARCO SOTO DECKER
Age: 28
New York, NY
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15-MJ-780