CO: Prostitution-ring records stolen in reported break-in (update)

Another low-tech data theft could have embarrassing consequences. Chuck Plunkett of the Denver Post reports:

Hundreds of documents kept by the former owner of a high-profile prostitution ring in Denver were reportedly stolen Monday in a home break-in.

Scottie J. Ewing, who once owned Denver Players and Denver Sugar escort services — identified by federal agents as a prostitution ring — told Denver police that thieves broke into his home Monday between 6 and 8 p.m., entered an upstairs office and took off with his computer and a large container of files.

Read more in The Denver Post.

In related coverage, Marshall Zelinger of 7News reports:

7NEWS had seen the list from the “Denver Players” in the last week. It contains the names and numbers for high end clientele. For hundreds of dollars, the service matched escorts with clients for sex.

[…]

7NEWS was allowed to record video of the documents on Friday, on the condition they would not be recognizable on camera. The documents piled in front of our camera included the black book phone list, appointment logs, schedule books and credit card slips from the escort service.

And Deborah Sherman of 9News reports:

9Wants to Know has learned that secret documents that belonged to a former prostitution business were stolen on Monday night. The documents included a list of clients’ real and fake names, phone numbers, credit card and cash receipts, according to a Denver Police report.

So clearly there is a lot of sensitive, personal and financial information involved, much of which is already in the hands of prosecutors who had initiated legal action against the operation in the past.

But no, I don’t expect we’ll see data breach notifications sent out on this one.

Update via HuffPost: a PDF file of some of the records that have been used to suggest that a mayoral candidate is among the clientele. The individual denies it.