Friday, December 8th, 2000

RJB Telcom Responds

Dear Mr. Ford

We represent RJB Telcom and Richard and Bob Botto in the lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission.

Contrary to your website's headline (RJB Telcom Bankrupt in All But Name), and the statements attributed to a law student ("they [RJB] don't have enough money to pay all the people they owe," and "they don't have enough to keep operating and pay off everyone they defrauded."), RJB is not bankrupt and has not defrauded anyone. These allegations are outrageous, false and libelous, and the Bottos demand an immediate retraction and correction of these and other libelous statements in your website.

You are aware that RJB is operating and paying its bills. The Bottos entered into the Stipulated Preliminary Injunction for the very purpose to regain control of RJB and pay its webmasters. They and RJB are in no way bankrupt.

Without any factual basis, Mr. Jones repeatedly states that RJB defrauded consumers. Let me make this crystal clear: RJB never defrauded a single consumer out of a dime, and the FTC has failed to produce a single consumer who was defrauded by RJB. Mr. Jones' allegations are false. The evidence is unrefuted that RJB never crammed credit cards or otherwise committed fraud. Instead, RJB was the victim of several renegade webmasters who attempted to defraud RJB out of commissions using stolen credit cards or a credit card generator. RJB has credited every single consumer that it has identified as being a victim of webmaster fraud. This has been and will be its policy.

Any attorney remotely familiar with FTC proceedings knows that the FTC does not stipulate to allow fraudulent individuals to resume control of a company. Here, after being educated that RJB was operating a clean and honest business, the FTC stipulated to allow the Bottos full control of all aspects of their business within a month of filing the lawsuit. The speed with which the FTC reversed itself and allowed the Bottos to regain complete control of RJB demonstrates that the evidence is clear that RJB did not commit fraud.

Further, RJB is proud of the innovative and proactive fraud detection and prevention measures that it has employed since 1996. It has led the adult industry in crediting consumers and providing exceptional customer support. It intends to continue these efforts.

Mr. Jones' factual allegations and legal conclusions would be a joke if the circumstances were not so serious. Instead, his ignorant statements and your website are seriously impugning the integrity of the Bottos and seriously damaging their business. Although I will not list all of the inaccuracies and libelous comments on your website, I must comment on certain other egregious errors.

Mr. Jones states that RJB entered into a "pseudo-bankruptcy provision" and compares a stipulated injunction to "private criminal law." He even incorrectly lists one section of the Preliminary Injunction as "Bankruptcy." All these statements are simply wrong.

Mr. Jones' commentary on the Preliminary Injunction demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the legal process. In section I. A., the prohibition on misrepresentations of material fact simply mirrors FTC law and in no way implies that RJB was "liable for any overreaching ." It is standard garden variety language in FTC orders of this type. Further, in the Stipulated Preliminary Injunction, RJB does not admit to any liability or wrongdoing and specifically denies the FTC's charges.

In section I.B., RJB agreed to credit any consumer that is improperly billed. This section simply reflects RJB's long standing policy to credit any consumer that believes he has been wrongfully billed.

In section VII, Mr. Jones states that RJB must "put up $2M to pay back defrauded customers." The Stipulated Order does not say this. No consumers have been defrauded by RJB. The Bottos agreed to an escrow account until this case is resolved in order to resume control of the company and pay the webmasters. The FTC insisted on it as condition of settlement, as it typically does in disputes of this type. Under the duress of receivership and in order to regain control of the business as quickly as possible, the Bottos had no choice but to agree to it. They strongly believe the escrow is completely unwarranted and will strenuously object to any demand by the FTC for an escrow account in the final order. And they do not expect any money to be paid from the escrow account.

Without any basis, Mr. Jones states that the standard record keeping provisions in sections IX and X "probably means RJB was trying to hide their money." These provisions are standard garden variety FTC settlement language. The Bottos have fully cooperated with the FTC, and Mr. Jones' statement is nothing more than slander of the Bottos' character.

For the foregoing reasons, the Bottos demand that you immediately issue a retraction and a correction on your website and that you cease and desist from any further slander of their business and their character.

Theodore F. Monroe Altman & Morris (310)277-8481

William I. Rothbard Law Office of William I. Rothbard (310)393-7760

Greg Piccionelli Brull Piccionelli Sarno Braun & Vradenburgh (310)553-3375

AVN.com On RJB Telcom

Humphrey Pennyworth writes for AVN.com:

SCOTTSDALE, Az. - Attorneys representing RJB Telcom and its guiding forces Richard and Robert Botto have demanded that porn cybergossip Luke F-rd retract comments published on his Website that the company was bankrupt and had defrauded anyone. And Ford says he will retract and apologize for any statement he publishes - his own or anyone else's - proven inaccurate, untrue, or unfair, but not for his skepticism about porn and its purveyors.

In a statement to which the names of three law firms were attached, the Bottos' main attorney, Theodore Monroe, called outrageous, false, and libelous a headline on a Ford column about the case ("RJB Telcom Bankrupt In All But Name") and allegations from "a law student" that the company doesn't "have enough to keep operating and pay off everyone they defrauded".

Ford told AVN.com he asked Monroe's ok before posting the letter on his Website, and that the two men continue a dialogue. "And if I've committed libel or slander or defamed RJB Telcom or published stuff that was inaccurate, untrue, or unfair, I will make retractions and apologize," he said. "Sure the story is ongoing…but I really don't feel like racking up another bloody lawsuit."

Ford said it's one thing to retract an inaccurate statement but something else again to just protect anyone's financial hide.

"I don't give a rat's ass about anybody's pornography business," he said. "If I write something to destroy somebody's business, I don't care, as long as it's accurate. If it's not accurate or not true, that's terrible, and I will try to make all corrections, apologies, retractions, and take steps to make sure it doesn't happen in the future. As a journalist, and an entertainer, I feel no moral responsibility to protect any of my subjects' financial interests."

The case began in late October, when the Federal Trade Commission accused RJB of billing credit and debit card customers for site access and even international telephone line access they didn't seek. They were also accused of billing customers who didn't even know they existed in the first place.

Ford acknowledged the RJB case is very complex, but he makes clear he drew the line only at acknowledging and apologizing for any errors he commits. "I don't trust pornographers generally," he said. "Many pornographers are scumbags. I don't trust anyone in this industry, including myself, and so I'm highly skeptical of RJB as I am of everybody else, and I will continue to upbraid them in my highly skeptical and at times antagonistic manner."

But he also said he's called the RJB Telcom case the most important story yet to come along on the adult Web for what he calls a very good reason - the company's reputation for integrity. "RJB Telcom has been universally regarded by their peers as the most honest, upright ethical company around," Ford said. "And that the FTC would crack down on the company that's regarded by everyone I've talked to as having the highest standard of business ethics, that is fascinating - and should send a chill down the spines of all pornographers."

Katja Kean, Jessica Drake, Sylvia Saint, Zoe, Shay Sweet, Kamiko, Teens

Is Tod-Hunter.com Boring?

I cruised over to GeneRoss.com and read this:

Curious writes: Dear Tod, Is your site boring? Well, lets put it this way. Ever notice how Luke F-rd never steals ...er... quotes your site? You need to spice up the site a bit if you want to run with the Quasarman, Luke, and Gene. Here are a few pointers on how to spruce up the site ala Luke F-rd:

* Always refer to yourself in the third person. Never say, "I think that..." Instead say, "Tod thinks that ..." Makes you sound self-righteous and important.

* Publish your masturbation diary. Readers want to feel an affinity with their porn journalists.

* Always include at least 8 pictures of yourself on your site. Image is everything.

* Publish malicious gossip first and verify facts later (if ever).

* and finally ... Reject Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior and convert to Judaism. Give it a shot, Tod. What have you got to lose?

Does Joey Silvera Have A New Job As A Prosecutor In Mexico?

Hi Luke, You'd think the Mexicans could have done better than a worn out porn star to be a prosecutor in the child abuse case featuring Gloria Trevi:

Judge Jose Neri de Silveira gave a detailed account of how young girls were forced to have sex with Mr Andrade. Sometimes others would join in for group sex.

According to the extradition request from Mexico, Ms Trevi had coaxed them on. She had put drugs in the drink of one girl who refused to sleep with Mr Andrade, it said. "The minors were just sexual objects to him," said Mr Silveira.

New Rankings Out

Luke says: The new Netscape traffic rankings are out (click on the "What's Related" button on the upper right of the Netscape browser). They rank according to most trafficked websites. For instance, the Drudge Report is in the top 557 most trafficked web sites.

AVN.com - In top 14,122 sites on the web

l-keford.com: In top 19,448

rame.net 30,928

Rogreviews.com 41,785

TalkingBlue.com : 97,697

AdultDVDTalk.com 100,600

GeneRoss.com: 110,217

mrwebreview.com 145,645

lsbreviews.com 165,828

StunningCurves.com 252,707

DVDpornreviews.com 258,942

AVNGossip.com - no ranking available yet

QuasarmanRants.com - no ranking

GeneRossExtreme.com - no ranking

Esad Denies AVN Connection

Esad writes: dear luke, please tell gene ross that i am deeply offended that he thinks i am Bryn from Avn! I happen to be alot funnier than Bryn and i purchase my computers from stores that take credit cards! Nice try Geno, but believe it or not you have people within your own little porno world that dislike you and your holier and thou attitude. the way you would hold court at the CES show giving away AVN talent tickets like you were King Solomon (jew reference for you, luke ) dispensing wisdom! Gene you make Fishbein appear to be almost human, or at least his skin color and hair are! Luke will you post some very funny pictures of gene and paul if i can find them? have a nice weekend! esad

Luke says: Yes, send the pictures. I'd love to see them.

Luke Going To AVN?

Bruno writes Gene Ross: "I'd watch my ass if I were you. Your buddy Luke has been playing both sides against the middle and has been talking to Fishbein about taking over the AVN gossip column. Tod Hunter is getting the squeeze because his sight is non-productive, and word has it, Fishbein is offering a piece of AVN to Ford as an inducement. What a match: the industry's most reviled writer and the industry's most compromised magazine."

Gene sez: "Maybe Luke's getting the piece promised to me. Fishbein offering AVN as a carrot on the stick is like Zero Mostel selling 150% of Springtime for Hitler."

Kevin Blatt Joins SexToyNetwork.com

Kevin Blatt writes on Netpond: I would like to say how happy I am to join the "family" at Vivid and XPAYS, as well as Al at Goalie. We have been speaking for a few weeks about the opportunity and most of you know how hard it is for me to keep my mouth shut when I am excited! I couldn't ask for better people to work with in this industry. I look forward to having the opportunity to help webmasters realize the full potential a "great" sex toy store can be for your site! We truly have the best affilate tracking system I have ever seen! They sold me, let me sell you!

NickT at LikeWhoa.com writes on Netpond: In the light of the recent announcements with the closing of SexSpaces and PornHotels, I would like to publicly offer SexTracker the option of allowing my company to assume operations over their free hosting; not only to keep the webmasters happy but also ensure webmasters do not lose the traffic and income they've worked so very hard to produce to SexTracker 404 pages.

It is my duty, as a former PornHotels owner and industry leader to make this offer in order to take care of my beloved webmasters. I believe that those webmasters do not deserve this kind of treatment because of the financial troubles of the company.

If SexTracker is caring about the webmasters, who've facilitated the growth of the company using services such as counters, hosting and banner exchange, they will allow such action to be taken from my side and keep their reputation at the heights of this industry. I perfectly understand their financial situations and can sympathize and offer them a hand to help the webmasters, which helped build SexTracker.

Being one of the first major SexTracker Free Host partners, I saw the company reach a very high point of success and I hope that SexTracker will be able to resolve their financial situation as I see them being one of few reputable companies of the Adult Internet.

SexTrackers's staff and Andrew Edmond, a good business associate of mine are more then welcome to call my office directly at 866-WHOA-NOW. I am confident SexTracker will make a wise decision that does not take unnecessary advantage of adult webmasters in this regard.

Luke says: I think NickT is SexTracker's old free hosting partner.

Yankel writes: Luke, Here is some more scoop for you. What SexTracker is trying to do is force a pop up ad on all pages, therefore leaving webmasters no choice but to close their accounts. Closing the accounts, SexTracker will make money off 404 pages. Those who will decide to leave the accounts, SexTracker will make money off splash page full of advertisements. PornHotels is already down to 250k uniques from over half a million just 2 days before.

Gene Ross Wins Golden Muck Award

Fun, the Internet smear magazine, announced as recipient of its first Golden Muck awards, Gene Ross for his clever and entertaining way of getting real and pertinent facts across the table. "Esad who posts on Luke F-rd's site is a lame invention of AVN with its humor-devoid invective and generally uninspired patter - just like the magazine," said Morris Gorky, Fun spokesman. (Gene Ross)

Elsewhere, Gene writes: "...publisher Paul Fishbein [now masquerading as "Esad" via Bryn Pryor on Luke F-rd's site..."

An Open Letter To The Pornography Industry

Dear Paul Fishbein, Steve Hirsch and esteemed members of the adult entertainment industry:

I met with my psychiatrist, Dr. Rabbi Rabinowitz, this morning and I am sorely vexed. I realize clearly now how self defeating my behavior has been.

In my desire to exercise my constitutional right to free expression, I've crossed, at times, boundaries of good taste. In so doing, I've probably made you feel uncomfortable, perhaps even threatened.

Rabbi Rabinowitz pointed out to me this morning that it is appropriate to curtail one's free expression at times to achieve the greater good of social relations.

I fear that I've frequently caused you gratuitous pain. My many exposes were not necessary. You could've moved just as much product without them.

After all, we're all in this together.

From now on, dear porners, so long as you continue to make high quality whack material, I will consider your private lives your business.

Furthermore, I've decided to experiment with controlling my expression in order to nurture relationships. I want to put my need to express on hold for the higher good of industry unity.

You've all been very patient with me and allowed me tremendous freedom of expression. But at times I've crossed over the line. I appreciate your many lawsuits and letters of warning which have helped me to understand that I am making you, at times, feel unsafe.

From now on, I am keeping in mind the bigger picture.

I've heard from many of you that you feel that I am sitting back in my hovel and feeling smug and superior. And that from this humble garage, I am playing all sorts of weird mind games with you. That you feel that I am constantly pushing and prodding and testing you, to find out the boundaries.

I now realize how tiring and annoying this must be for you, and I am very very sorry.

I've decided to expand my emotional repetoir. Instead of pouring forth from this site constant challenge, I now plan to nurture intimacy between.

Dear porners, I wish you to feel safe. I want you to feel free to open up and share your feelings with me. I want you to feel special, precious and adored.

Let there no longer be a fear of humiliation.

From now on, I plan to bring down the pressure and lower the temperature in our relations.

Therefore, if at any time you feel that I am playing games with you, that you feel experimented upon or manipulated, I want you to email me about it.

And let us walk together, hand in hand, into a brighter future, filled with monetary and sexual rewards.

Australian Porn Mafia Don Embroiled In Love Triangle

The "Australian Porn Mafia" is a loving term used by me to describe the large number of powerful internet pornographers (Greg Lasrado, Scott Phillips, Jon Atherton) headquartered in Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

I've decided to annoint Greg Lasrado as the don of the Aussie Porn Mafia. I don't have any evidence to do this, but I have the right to be satirical, don't I?

From the front page of Brisbane's Courier Mail newspaper on Friday, December 8:

Queensland's top police public relations officer has become embroiled in a love triangle involving his son, a Brisbane woman, and a former internet pornographer.

A meeting at a Brisbane cafe last month between Peter Swift, the son of police media chief Brian Swift, and flamboyant local millionaire Greg Lasrado, has triggered an investigation by the Criminal Justice Commission.

Mr Lasrado made headlines last year when he paid $2.88 million for Brisbane's most exclusive land site.

Last month's meeting was held to discuss Mr. Lasrado's former fiancee Melissa Croskery. Ms. Croskery had started a relationship with Peter Swift and taken out a domestic violence order against Mr. Lasrado.

At Mr. Lasrado's request, the meeting was secretly taped and observed by the police.

Mr. Lasrado had confirmed that he had not made any complaint against Mr. Peter Swift and that he was trying to reconcile with Ms. Croskery.

Mr. Lasrado also told how he had flown Ms. Croskery to Paris where he proposed over dinner. They were to marry in a lavish ceremony at the Palazzo Versace hotel complex on the Gold Coast this year.

The wedding was cancelled but Mr. Lasrado and Ms. Croskery held a party at the Versace on what was to be their wedding night.

Mr. Lasrado bought the exclusive piece of property on Kangaroo Point as an engagement present.

Tom Zupko Shut Up

David Aaron Clark writes on RAME: "I wonder if Tom lurks on RAME, like most of the Extreme directors seem to ... I dunno, Tom, I think they're right. Time to stop playing the martyr ..."

Aaliyah-Yi has always had a complexion problem -- that's what actual lighting and make-up are for. See in her in my PORNOCIDEs (Heatwave) or SHANGHAI POON (Sin City) and she looks great. (Also in ASIAN ORGY GIRLS, a tape from a new company, Best Parts). She does have a fabulous personality -- but you have to remember the situation for all-blow job tapes. A girl shows up and is generally not treated like a star, an actress, or even an object of desire. At places like Extreme, etc, etc, she's treated like a low-life door-to-door tamale salesman, forced to wait around to do her business on a hard warehouse floor in a musty back room where the door keeps getting opened by warehouse guys wanting a peek, with salesmen shouting on the phone in the background, and at the end of it all paid a grand $200 -- which she gets on the spot, if she's lucky. Waits two weeks, if she's not.

So if it seems like the girls are less enthusiastic in the majority of the bj series out there than in their usual scenes ... think about it. Why wouldn't they be?

Though I haven't spoken to her in two months or so and never say never about anything, I seriously, seriously doubt that Kasorn Swan is actually one of "Nici's Girls." Maybe her picture has been pirated, etc, but ... doubt it. And I say this as someone who has no problem with porn stars hooking ... some of my best friends, etc, etc .... I do hate these escort agencies who cheat both the girl and the clientele with their bulls---, however ...

Luke Gets Mail

Meni writes: Luke i quote you "it appears [RJBT....]"

"it appears" is what makes you the most hated idiot on the net but I think you are a good person. Now get out there, get an agent, and start working.

Ryan writes: Luke, Do you know what happened to Lea Stevenson? She was a blue-eyed brunette, wore braces. She was in Booty Duty and some Max Hardcore stuff.

Heather Barron On Mark Ebner's Drastic Radio

Distinguished journalist Mark Ebner writes: Heya Luke. The show streams audio and video on the internet and is syndicated nationally on terrestrial radio:

This Sunday, December 10, from Noon-3pm Pacific Time, The Erotic Review (www.theeroticreview.com) joins Drastic Radio with Mark Ebner (www.comedyworld.com) to present "2nd Sundays of Sin." Joining Ebner will be the highly-rated ER girl, Heather Barron (www.heatherbarronxxx.com), along with porn legend Bill "Papa Bear" Margold and adult video's own "Sex Survivor," Salena Del Ray. Feel free to call in at 866-Comedy3, but most importantly - tune in for sin!

Taliesin, Pat Riley Opine On Pornography

(xxxtal@earthlink.net)Your Pal Tal wrote on RAME: Here is my definition of porn, taken from my lecture and essay series titled Lesson In X: "Pornography is a presentation of sex for the purposes of entertainment, education or edification. That's my definition. It's not the only definition - you probably have your own - but it's the one we'll use in this column so that all of us are on the same page in our thinking. Further, I can make a distinction between porn and erotica. Pornography is a presentation of sex between the legs only; erotica is a presentation of sex between the ears. In no way, however, does this diminish the value or straightforward elegance of porn. Erotica is not somehow mysteriously 'higher' or more 'cultured' than pornography. But it is different."

Pat Riley replies on RAME: I suppose you're entitled to define any word in any way you like however you might try to inject little discipline into the process since the concept of any language is supposed to be a common set of definitions that all people understand and abide by when they use the terms. Thus the phrase "you probably have your own" is utterly ridiculous but predictable given the source.

Let's just spend a moment pulling apart your definition:

"Presentation of sex." Are we supposed to consider "sex" as an act of sexual intercourse, masturbation, etc or are we supposed to read some more obscure Clinton-esque features into the word? If it's to be taken as sex in the normal sense what happens to the standard Playboy or Penthouse nude centerfolds. Those are presumably not pornography according to you. Nor are the thousands of pictures floating around on the web which depict nude females despite almost everyone's idea that these are on porn sites or porn NG's.

I also have a little problem with the word "presentation" which seems, according to my Webster's, to limit itself to stage or similar productions (not including gifts, birthing positions, and other obscurities). Are you trying to distinguish between the activity taking place (i.e., the sex act on the porn set) and the film or video record of such an act?

"Presentation of sex" seems to exclude a book or passage in a book that describes sex but even if we include some sort of (delving into Tal's mind here) figurative meaning we would be making no distinction between a textbook on biology--even human biology--and something designed to titillate. Is your high school biology book pornographic?

Which of course is a problem too with the "purposes of entertainment, education or edification" phrase.

And do they have to be humans? I presume Rover doing Chessie would be considered as pornographic but how about that Nature documentary on the mating practices of the yellow warbler? Does it matter if some pervert gets a stiffie when he watches the yellow warblers?

Moving on to your afterthought of pornography as the "presentation of sex between the legs only" and "erotica as a presentation of sex between the ears" and taking the statement literally, "The Blowjob Adventures Of Doctor Fellatio" (in 28 volumes all endured by yours truly) seems to fall within the erotica category whereas Candida Royale's Femme would be definitely pornography.

Moving between Tal's ears again and presuming some sort of figurative sense of the two phrases along the lines ...er, well I have a little difficulty here. You want to get Doctor Fellatio into the pornography camp and Femme into the erotica group but phrases like "appeals to the intellect" won't be suitable unless you start dumping on the poor old raincoater which I'm sure you don't want to do (gotta be "inclusive" eh, Tal). You don't want to use "plot" because that excludes lots of your touchie-feelie friends (Did Femme have a plot?) so I guess you're up the proverbial creek with this one.

Let me give some gratuitous advice: A definition must be as strict as you can make it. You should be able to hold up any work, apply the criteria set forth in the definition, and have it fall into the correct category. Certainly obvious works such as Doctor Fellatio and Femme should just naturally drop right in. You can't use figurative meanings unless you supply the definition of each of them. Otherwise you're not providing a definition and both you and the reader won't be, as you put it, "on the same page".

Try again, Tal. The dictionary might help.