February 24, 2005

 

PREPAID PORN CARDS GET TRIPLE X RATING FROM
WESTCHESTER LEGISLATORS

-NYC Sting Prompts Westchester Legislators To Act To Protect Minors From Beyond-Depraved Website-

The revelation that minors can easily buy what are known as prepaid porn cards to access some of the raunchiest X-rated sites on the Internet has prompted Westchester legislators to call for legislation to make the sale of such cards to minors a punishable offense.

These prepaid porn cards function like prepaid phone cards where the purchaser can, for anywhere between $5 and $50, buy a card that will permit access to a number of X-rated websites. The information that the incidence of small grocery store and newsstand owners selling the cards to minors was widespread was uncovered by a Sting operation conducted and reported on by the New York Daily News this past week.

The proposed legislation would fine vendors who sell the cards to minors in Westchester.

“Unfortunately, we can’t stand over the shoulder of each business owner who stocks these cards to prevent them from selling them to minors, but we can and will act to punish them for preying on our kids,” said County Legislator Bill Ryan (D,WF-White Plains) and Chair of the Board of Legislators.

“The sale of these cards allows minors access to the most depraved sexual activity imaginable and as County Legislators, we will do our part to keep these cards out of the hands of minors,” said County Legislator Marty Rogowsky (D-Harrison, Port Chester, Rye). As Chair of the Board’s Legislation Committee, Rogowsky will explore legislation that will impose a stiff civil penalty on vendors who sell these cards to minors.

Rogowsky said that in addition to local civil sanctions, the Board would urge the State’s legislators to clarify the New York State Penal Code to explicitly preclude the sale of these cards to minors.

The current penal code prohibits the sale of tickets or passes to the premises where pornographic images or films are being shown; and prohibits the transmission of pornographic images to minors via a computer; but the law is unclear on the issue of pre-paid porn cards.