Minnesota
Minnesota AG sends warning to landlords of massage parlors suspected of sex trafficking
(FOX 9) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has sent a warning letter to nine commercial landlords warning them they may be renting to massage parlors that are engaging in sex trafficking.
Warning letter
What we know:
Ellison shared an announcement about the letter in a news release on Tuesday. The letter warns the landlords, which were not named in the news release, that their tenants could be operating an illicit business.
The letter also shares some “red flags” of sex trafficking, noting that the business in question appears on a website “RUBMAPS” – a review site that officials say allows sex buyers to share their experiences.
Local perspective:
Some of the common red flags outlined by the AG that a massage parlor is engaged in sex trafficking are:
- Hours are often late, past regular business hours.
- Entrances are private and windows are covered.
- High security measures, including external cameras at entrances, screened entry with buyers needing to call or be buzzed in.
- Evidence, such as makeshift kitchens, shows that women are living on the premises.
- Cash-heavy transactions.
- Clientele is almost exclusively male.
- Illicit advertising online and sex-buyer activity on online review sites.
What you can do:
Landlords and residents who suspect a business may be engaging in prostitution can contact:
- The BCA at 1-877-996-6222 or email bca.tips@state.mn.us.
- The Attorney General’s Office via its online complaint form, or by calling the Office at (651) 296-3353 (Metro area) or (800) 657-3787 (Greater Minnesota).
- The National Human Trafficking Hotline, 1-888-373-7888.
What the letter says
Dig deeper:
The letter also informs the landlords that Minnesota law allows landlords to cancel residential leases if they learn a tenant is engaging in prostitution activities on their premises. The AG urges the landlords to check if similar provisions are available for commercial leases. It also warns of the legal ramifications of allowing sex trafficking on their property.
Ellison requested a response from landlords within ten business days of the letter.
In the news release, Ellison explains that many of the women that work out of these parlors are brought to the United States under false promises, isolated once here and coerced to perform as sex workers.
What they’re saying:
In a statement, Ellison says: “Minnesota will not tolerate vulnerable women being abused and trafficked at illicit massage businesses hiding in plain sight in our communities. I’m asking property owners to join me and do their part to help stamp out this criminal conduct.”
Big picture view:
The effort by Ellison is part of an initiative to combat sex trafficking that the attorney general’s office is collaborating on with local law enforcement, national anti-trafficking advocacy group The Network, and the Minnesota BCA’s Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force.
(FOX 9) – Minnesota is joining a legal challenge targeting the largest media merger in history, arguing that it would ultimately be a bad deal for customers.
AG Ellison joins lawsuit to block Warner Bros.-Paramount merger
What we know:
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of 11 other attorneys general, filing a lawsuit to stop the $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance Corporation.
The suit alleges the merger would violate antitrust laws by creating a media conglomerate that would control nearly one-third of all U.S.-based theatrical movies.
The combined company would control about 27% of the market for wide-release theatrical films and basic cable channels. Only three distributors would control 75% of wide-release films, and four — including Disney, Universal, and Sony — would control 86%, the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit also points out that Warner Bros. is currently the second largest and Paramount the third largest in licensing basic cable channels, and together they would control 27% of that market. The merger would combine two of Hollywood’s five major film distributors and two of the five major basic cable companies, eliminating competition and harming movie theaters, cable distributors and consumers.
What they’re saying:
“Minnesotans deserve a fair and competitive marketplace, not one where a handful of giant corporations control what we watch, what we pay, and what choices we have,” AG Ellison said in a statement. “This would be the largest merger in media and entertainment history. It will raise prices, limit innovation, and reduce the variety of voices in media and entertainment. I’m taking action because this goes too far in consolidating power with a few at the expense of the public.”
What’s next:
The coalition has asked Warner Bros. and Paramount not to close the merger until after the judicial process concludes. If the companies refuse, the attorneys general plan to file a temporary restraining order to halt the deal.
The Source: Information provided in a statement from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
WASHINGTON (7News) — The debate over the National Guard presence in the nation’s capital is intensifying after the Pentagon told 7News the Guard mission connected to President Donald Trump’s crime initiative could continue through Inauguration Day 2029 unless it is ended sooner by the president.
The development comes as one governor has decided to withdraw troops from Washington, while D.C. leaders are urging other states to do the same.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is pulling his state’s National Guard members out of the District earlier than originally planned.
Walz’s office says its mission to support America 250 celebrations has concluded. The decision follows concerns about whether some Guard members were being used beyond the security mission tied to those events.
RELATED | Pentagon to keep National Guard activated in D.C. through Inauguration Day 2029
The D.C. Council is also pressing other states to reconsider their deployments.
All 13 councilmembers signed letters to the governors of Michigan and the U.S. Virgin Islands asking them to withdraw their National Guard troops from the District. Council leaders argue those service members were deployed to support the nation’s 250th anniversary events—not a broader federal public safety mission.
“They’re just doing their job, but it still hurts the city. It hurts our image. It creates resentment,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.
SEE ALSO | 13-year-old boy shot and killed in Northeast DC home
“The letters were sent to two states that we were surprised when they decided to send the guard. Now, they sent the guard, as I understand it, to support the America 250 events. So it would be nice if they just kind of go back home,” Mendelson added.
According to the Joint Task Force overseeing the deployment, more than 5,100 National Guard members are currently assigned to the District, including troops supporting Freedom 250 events and other summer activities.
While Minnesota is ending its deployment, governors in states including Georgia and Mississippi have said their Guard members will remain in Washington to support the president’s mission.
A road rage-related shooting caused a southern Twin Cities metro highway to shut down for several hours Saturday evening.
The Minnesota State Patrol and the Eagan Police Department responded to a report of a road rage incident on northbound Interstate 35E near Deerwood Drive around 5:16 p.m., according to Eagan police.
Police say one of the drivers fired multiple rounds at another vehicle. While no one was injured, the victim’s vehicle was struck by gunfire and sustained damage.
The Eagan Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect vehicle and driver involved. Investigators are looking for a white 2010-2014 Ford F-150. The truck is described as having four doors, black door handles, gray rocker panels, a black tonneau cover and visible rust around the driver’s side rear wheel well/fender. The suspect is described as a White man with long, dark hair.
Anyone with information about the incident or the driver is asked to contact the Eagan Police Department tip line at 651-675-5799 or email the department at eaganpd@eaganmn.gov.
I-35E reopened to traffic around 8:10 p.m. Saturday.
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