feds using roundabout means to try to shut down adult film industry

Posted on: Fri, 05/02/2014 - 17:02 By: Tom Swiss

So apparently Chase has been shutting down the bank accounts of porn actors. Why would a company that's kind of notorious for wanting your money, turn down customers? Seems the feds may be to blame.

DOJ Morality Police May Be Behind Chase Closing Bank Accounts Of Adult Film Actors | Techdirt (Techdirt.)

Well, the latest is that this may be a part of the US Department of Justice's "Operation Choke Point" program, in which the government has apparently decided that some extremely legal businesses don't get to exist anymore, but since they can't just disappear companies...they've decided to route around the whole "freedom" thing and get the financial industry to act as contract hitmen.

...

...The way it works is that the DOJ informs financial institutions that certain industries are more likely than others to be involved in unauthorized charges of consumer credit and bank cards. They likewise inform the banks that the DOJ is going to keep a special super-awesome close-eye on these industries, with the implication being that there will be a great deal of prosecutorial action, subpoenas, and scrutiny on those industries, not mention penalties on the institutions that work with them. The intention of the government, it would seem, is to make the banks unwilling to deal with the government harassment and simply cut anyone in those industries off from the financial institutions.