Crypto News: Why do sex rings endure for as long as they do?

This is the Weekend Edition of Bloomberg Opinion Today, a roundup of the most popular stories Bloomberg Opinion publishes each week based on web readership.

Victims of sex trafficking, it is said, are often hiding in plain sight. I was reminded of that truism this week when Sean Combs, the music mogul also known as "Puff Daddy" and "Diddy," was indicted for alleged conduct dating back to 2008. The offenses include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Photographer: Samir Hussein/Getty Images Europe

According to the indictment, Combs forced women "to engage in frequent, days-long sexual activity with male commercial sex workers" in events "Combs referred to as 'Freak Offs,'" which prosecutors described as "elaborate sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, and often electronically recorded." The potential sentence for the charges ranges from a mandatory minimum of 15 years to life in prison.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams was asked why it took so long for law enforcement to intervene in the allegedly long-running scheme. Williams deflected the question, instead focusing on the current charges. But one reason that sex rings can endure for years is that bystanders fail to recognize what is occurring right before their eyes.

Read the whole thing.

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