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Police from the Santa Cruz Precinct, in the western zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, arrested eight American tourists in a mansion on Niemeyer Avenue, in the São Conrado district.
The Americans are accused of encouraging prostitution. The eight Brazilian women who were also found on the premises were contracted by the foreigners to act in porno films.
The police received a tip that various underage females from Sepetiba, also in the western zone, were being enticed by Americans to participate in porno films in a house on Niemeyer Avenue.
When they arrived at the locale last night, August 2, the police found the girls, but none of them was a minor. They were interrogated and released.
The eight Americans had been in the house for 40 days. All of them have temporary tourist visas in Brazil, which prohibits them from engaging in lucrative activities. They were charged under Article 229 of the penal code, which deals with encouraging prostitution.
The precinct commissioner, Marcos Menezes, said that the films were meant to be sold on the US market for US$ 40,000 and that the Brazilians would each receive a US$ 129.40 (300 reais) performer's fee.
The commissioner has already sent an official letter to the Federal Police to find out whether extraditing the Americans is in order.
In the house the police seized three video cameras, three laptops, a scanner, eight films produced in Rio by the Americans, photographs, and 30 grams of marijuana. The Americans were transported to the Polinter (Interstate Police) jail in the port zone of the city.
Agência Brasil
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