7: What Happens in Vegas

Novel.

Hey listeners, this is Ellie Flynn.

Before we get started, I just wanted to let you know that this episode contains swearing and explicit sexual language and references to graphic allegations, which might be upsetting. It's also a story of female empowerment and camaraderie thanks to the women who have shared their stories with us. We contacted the photographer mentioned in this podcast multiple times for comment, but we never heard back. He has not been charged with any crimes and is presumed innocent under the law.

So you've got a bit of a camelto going on. Every investigative journalist needs her friends.

Oh god, pretty sultry. It's quite a lot for someone's first Instagram post, isn't it.

Sophie's one of mine. You look on comfort, so get comfy.

I've known her since we were teenagers. She's my best mate from school and we also went to UNI together. Back when we were eighteen, are weekends involved heading out to clubs slathered in fake tan. Now we're in our thirties, things are usually a bit more sedate, except for when I ask Sophie to help me with my investigations.

I get a private message like, please help me. I mean, I get raped into things like this all the time. Then I say not can I. I guess I'm just a good friend, but.

This is a big ask. Sophie is going to be the star of a fake Instagram.

Profile, boobs out all the time.

She's posing as a glamor girl, a young muzzel just starting out in the industry. We're going to use that profile to arrange a meeting with Luis Gomez.

I feel like, if you guys are gonna catch a babby and all that, then it's support him.

I've packed Sophia disguise, including a long brunette wig.

I mean, it's definitely not human hair, probably like a very dark eyebrow.

I've also got a few lingerie sets that Emily, one of the models who first called out Luis, helped us pick out from Primark.

Everything's pretty lacey, slash shit, I guess that kind of shows off a bit about I kind of like it.

It's quite big.

See who has size? And then a bottom half that side of a din that like the size of prison. After settling on a sheer kimono with a song underneath, Sophie's ready for lights, camera action. Sexy like fifty year old on the beach, like sexy boudoir, someone who's looking for a mill.

I thought this would be a walk in the park.

It turns out glamor modeling is harder than either of us imagined. Okay, and then just put that arm onto your head. Yeah, you're like, you're just relaxing. I think you need to be a bit more like what am on your knees? Yeah, I think maybe that's where we need to go. Sophie eases into the shoot and after a few awkward.

Poses, you.

Get your farm further back on the chair.

We get the money shot. That's quite sexy. Okay, that's good.

Next step we need to conceal Sophie's identity. I edit her face and body using an app, getting rid of identifiers like tattoos. Let me change the color of her eyes to start with.

Okay, so I've gone for a light blue, which is not her eye color. Sophie's gone.

Now she's Jojo Harry, a blue eyed, black haired face tuned fem for Tao whose name was inspired by two legendary female spies, Josephine Baker and Masa Harri Cool Har. We're going to use Jojo to try and confront Luis on behalf of Emily and the other models who've spoken out. We post a few images and pay a model promoter thirty dollars to get a few thousand followers for Jojo, and then after years of investigation, it's time.

Ah.

I can't believe that this is all finally happening. Fore so so surreal. We slide into Luis's DMS.

Oh my god, He's replied, I'm Ellie Flynn and from this team at Novel.

This is the final episode of The Bunny Trap, Episode seven, What Happens in Vegas. It's morning in London and I've just woken up to four messages from Luis Gomes.

He tells Jojo Harri.

My fake lamb model alias, that he's going to Vegas the next day for two weeks of shoots and that she.

Can join too.

Okay, so I am sending Luis a message now to try and arrange a meeting. So I've said, hey, I'm really interested and can be in Vegas next week. It feels so much as hinging on his reply to this message, part of me is worried that he might get spooped.

Cent Ah. Just a few hours later, I like your image.

Let me know if you are interested.

He has said, Okay, let's do it. He tells me his rates for a.

Shoots two thousand, eight hundred and eighty. This includes the production of photoshoot with forty edited photos three thousand, nine hundred and eighty. This one includes also a behind the sceneslip and for produced clips.

I'm not clear on what either of these options includes, but either way, these prices seem really high. I tell him it's too much money. Sure enough, Louise has a solution.

Depending if we also do full only fans content, I can do a discount, so you pay me only one two hundred and fifteen.

I tell Louise I don't do only fans and that I can't afford those rates. He drops his price again, this time to six hundred and fifty dollars, and then weirdly, he offers me a discounted hotel room.

I have two apartments. I get you one only one hundred dollars one for yourself.

This is bizarre.

Why does he have two hotel rooms and why is he offering one to Jojo. We don't want to pay Luise any money for a shoot, and I'm obviously not staying in his hotel room, so I ignore the offer. But at least I now know where he's staying, the Grand View Hotel, Las Vegas, so that's where my producer Eleanor and I are headed.

Oh my god, that's amazing. That is amazing. I can't believe.

Fuck back.

Okay, we've got to find out when he can meet, but it's on.

We did it, well done. Were done to Vegas.

Good morning, It's six thirty am in Las Vegas, Nevada.

How are you feeling, Yeah, it's all right.

By the time we can get out to Vegas, Luisa's trip is nearly over, So even though we only arrived yesterday, we have less than twelve hours before we have to be back at the airport for our flight home, and in that time we need to find Luise and confront

It's unlike anywhere I've ever been before.

But right now I'm having a typical American experience. I'm at a diner.

Okay, I'm going to just cook that there.

Elena and I are meeting the security guards will be accompanying us on our mission. There are three of them, one woman and two men. I can't tell you their names to protect their identities. But they're all ex cops. Plus this is Vegas, so you know they've seen some shit.

So I've been and here it was for thirty years, so I've worked.

I've know this town pretty well.

The ex cops look like a group of middle aged mates who've nipped out for an early breakfast. The two guys in hoodies and jeans could easily be mistaken for tourists, but the female agent it's more glamorous than you'd expect for an next cop with bleach blonde hair. The difference is these guys are all armed and take their mission very seriously. I brief them about Luis over coffee, then they get straight to work.

I will call sexual assault detail here last weeks and.

Run this by them and consue they have anything in.

Reference with details like this going to happen.

So, like I said in the metime, when we arrived to scope out Luisa's hotel, we discover our first big problem. Literally, I mean, it's just so much bigger than either of us anticipated, and I cannot see how three security guards are going to mark that whole area. The hotel spreads across eight buildings, and some of the buildings have twenty

In and out. But it's not like that at all.

There is one main entrance and exit where if someone was marking that, we would see him driving in or out.

But there's so much space to.

Cover and by the time he's in a car, if he's driving out, that's no good to us what.

We're going to do.

Then.

I'm an eternal optimist, but looking up at this complex, I'm thinking we might be fucked. Being here is feeling really, really overwhelming. I'm sort of looking around that we're just surrounded by buildings and so many people constantly coming and going. Definitely feels like finding him is going to be a bit of a needle in a haystack. From Luise telling Jojo that he was staying at this resort, the only other intelligence we've been able to gather is from his

He's just posted an Instagram story.

I shoot him a message from Drojo's account, telling him I'm in Vegas and asking to me to wait and hope that he replies to my message. The seconds tick by as I wait for him to respond, waiting to see if he replies. This message is actual in the most tense part, because it's just like, if there's any way of pinning him down to a specific location, that's going to make our jobs so much easier. So I'm just kind of like checking the phone every thirty seconds to see if he's replied.

Oh, he's just like my message. He's just like my message. I think he's going to reply. He's just replied. Who's replied saying yes we can shoot? Oh my god, Okay, so he's still here.

Here.

He's just replied, saying yes, we can shoot. Oh my god, okay, so what do we do now? Let's wait and see what he says. Oh my god, my heart's going it's racing.

Okay, he replies, but refuses to meet up without payment first. But we don't want to hand over any money to Louise.

He's very hung up on the money.

Yeah, he's not going to meet us without the money.

He's not.

So me and Elena going to overdrive trying to formulate a reply while our glamorous ex cop tries to keep us calm.

She knows how to play the game. Don't respond too quickly.

Yeah, we don't want to see guests for it. And when you do reply.

Brief We wanted to just try to get away from getting him back to seeing amount money, try to keep him away from that.

I know he's going to go there.

Yeah, but as long as we can keep this conversation going without getting to that whole money thing.

My heart is pounding.

As a type out a reply, we reply now saying like what time can you do and like try and get some like logistics out of him.

I just need to like work out timings and location first.

Saying like Okay, yeah, I think I can maybe make two pm work, Like, is it somewhere outside we can do and try and get him to send us a.

Photo of where that could be and see if that draws him out to her Pauls. Get some pictures.

It'll give us like an idea of whereing this resort he is. And if we think it's not weird to be like, you know what, we're actually nearby, should we just like pop in. I think this is it's the best shot that we've had so far, off the shot, right, Yeah.

Okay, I mean just be prepared for Yeah, now let's say see some money.

Sure, how do you feel?

I feel like a bit more optimistic than I not for the rest of the fucking morning.

I hit send. So what has happened?

So Luis's replied saying I could do from two o'clock, in which case we know he's probably going to be here too. Luis has confirmed a time two pm, but he still won't tell us where he's shooting until Jojo pays a deposit.

We messaged him as a last stitch attempt to see if it would make any difference and if he'd like to meet for a drink and he said, Ellie, can you read he.

Said, he said, no, thank you, you take care. I'm here for work and to do only paid photo shoot.

But thank you. You have a good day. Smiley face, sorry but not interested. Thanks for contacting me.

And then we replied with understand, wish you could see, but I get it truly lovely picks.

And some flower emoji, which is a lovely choice. Yeah, and he hasn't got back to us yet, so I feel like he's not going to meet us.

Yeah, this conversation is going nowhere. Now we're back to plan B, which is sticking out the hotel with our security team hoping to catch a glimpse of him and then going and was confront him when we do. We're going to keep an eye on his social media's. He's

And it looks like she's about to bust into tears. Yeah, I am nervous. I am nervous.

And honestly, Eleanor's got good reason to be nervous because after the break, the chase is on.

Oh my god, that looked like him.

Yeah, fuck okay, shit shit shit, shit shit, he's alone.

Yeah, he's alone.

It's really hot now, probably the heat of the day.

And.

We're still looking for him.

I'm sitting in a car with my producer Eleanor. We're dripping with sweat. This blistering Nevada heat is really not being kind to adrenaline fuel podcasters from London, and we know that Luis Gomes is going to be shooting in and around Vegas soon, very soon. It feels like the pressure is really on now because it feels like we've

You guys.

Gets in the car.

Ellie, that was them.

There's some tea. We don't put the cart before the horse.

Okay, okay.

Our agent gets on the phone to her colleague.

Wait, jeep four bye, take a look at the mail in it. It's a male subject wearing a ball cap.

And after letting our third and final agent know we're on the move, we lose sight of him for a moment.

But then the jeep comes into vision again.

Okay, I've got it up front.

And we're after it.

This guy, this guy, I think he knows we're following him.

Poss on its frail. Now you chase the jeep into the desert, getting closer.

Oh my god, that looked like him.

Yeah, fuck, okay, shit, shit, shit, shit shit.

He's alone.

Yeah, he's alone.

As we gain on him, he's winding and weaving, trying to shake us.

This is Southern tense.

Yeah, Okay, here's in front of me. I'm just gonna pull right up on him. I'm not going to pull him over, but I'm gonna pull right up him.

Suddenly the jeep speed drops. We lurched the side after him.

Well he's breaking me. Let's see, he's gonna pull over. Do you want me tactic?

I think him just putt's going to see it him?

You want to see.

The agent slams on the brakes. No, it's not him, it's not him.

It's not him. Him. How could you tell?

I could tell.

I saw his face.

It's not him.

She said, it's not him.

It wasn't Louise in the jeep.

It was a random man in a baseball cap, looking pretty freaked out as a middle aged woman and two Brits pulled up beside him with their phones out. I mean, he was acting shady. The more he tried to lose us, the more certain we became that it was Louise. Turns out there was a pretty underwhelming reason why he was trying to shake us. Some digging from our agents found that he'd been driving with a suspended license plate. No wonder he looks so stressed, adrenaline worn off. We're feeling

It's so frustrating.

And then we see that a model Luisa's been shooting with has posted on Instagram. Look, she's just uploaded the photo with him.

Is that today?

Yeah?

Just an hour ago?

Really?

Are do you recognize that place at all? I think we should go to the desert. That's like, the desert is a ghost town?

Ah, it's not the desert, is it.

Notice there's no hills there on flat land?

Could it be there? This is a ghost town the vehicles, Oh, it could be. It's a long shot.

But time for one final Hell, Mary, we think they're shooting in a ghost town, so we're off to find one. After driving up a dirt track, we come across what looks like the world's oldest saloon at the foot of a hill leading up to Good Springs, Nevada, population one hundred and twenty three.

Now I'm feeling properly on edge. This town is so fucking creepy.

I haven't been a single person is literally like the scene of a horror film. How Emma has our investigation ended up here in.

A fucking ghost town at the edge of Nevada.

It's not what I thought I would be doing when I started investigating the glamor industry. There's an irony not lost on me or Eleanor that our investigation into the least regulated industry we've ever encountered is ending in the real wild West. There are tantalizing signs everywhere, including another white Jeep, but we know better than to fall for that.

Twice. We keep hoping Luise.

Is just around the next corner, but he never is, and as we pass yet another rundown building, even our hard nosed agents are giving into wishful thinking.

Do you think anybody is in here?

Looks like said?

I was thinking, And I was like, if it's a firon apartment.

I wonder if I showed him the picture and asked him if if they would by chance?

No, I mean, that's one in a billion.

You're you're real heat, You're.

Asking though, I'm OK, That's what I did the job I always grasped for straws.

We're about to call it a day when Luise posts on Instagram again, Okay, we've got video.

We've got a video.

Okay, play out out a lake thing in the background.

Yeap.

This time he's out by a big body of water, which one of our agents instantly recognizes.

You know where.

He said, it's Leap.

Lake Merom, Lake Mead.

And then you're you're being good and you'll.

Be an hour from there back to the airport.

Ah oh shit.

And by the time we get there, they could be long gone.

The lake is one hundred and one miles from end to end and thirty miles across.

There's very a little chance we would find him, even if we.

Were there kneeling a haystag.

This is so hard, this is so odd, and it's so frustrating. It's so typical that we now are like, we know where he is and it's too late. I initially felt like I'd let Emily and all the other models down. But what was I really hoping to get from that confrontation. We've put detailed allegations to Luise multiple times, We've called, emailed, texted. He knows we're making this podcast, but he's never responded. That silence speaks volumes to me. I'm also far from the first person to try and

Hello there, my name is Louise Gomez. I want to write you because I want to show you that all these girls are adults. They do everything because they want, so here we go.

Luise said that anything that happened between him and the models was consential. He talks about models sending him explicit content as evidence of this consent. But I've seen her as receipts. I've heard her account of how he got hold of her content by pressuring her and dangling the promise of a publication in Playboy in front of her. In the email chain I've seen, Luise also shares screenshots

Hi Allen, I'm Amaya, an assistant producer.

We get in touch with Patreon to let them know about the allegations.

We've heard about Luise.

Investigating serious allegations by one glamor photographer. We have been informed that this photographer has been using his Patreon account to post content of models, including explicit images and videos, which he had been sent privately on the condition the content was for his eyes only.

The models claim that Patreon begins an investigation of their own. About a month later, Amalia gets an update from Ellen sat White, the head of communications and US policy lead at Patreon at the time.

So what can you tell us?

Yeah, so I can't talk about the specific creator, but let me say it in this way. The account was removed for violations of our pornography policy.

Luise's Patreon is down and it's because of us.

It triggered our review of this creator. Yes, we were not aware of it until you reported it to me. We removed this creator for having violated our policies regarding pornographic content, and this was not their first violation.

Ellen tells us that Patreon has taken steps to make sure that Luis can never bring his account back.

If they were to launch another account, it would have to be substantively different than the account that they have currently.

So can we then assume that Universe one three seven will not make it comeback to Patreon without Patreon's review.

That's right.

That makes me.

That makes me feel really good.

I can't wait to tell Emily the news. So we managed to get his patron removed.

Yes, yes, Oh my god, Oh I love that.

Thank you.

That's that's so relieving. That's really good.

That's so it's weird.

It's like a it's not the outcome necessary that you know, you can go to court and you can deal with this stuff, but at the end of the day, if it's gone, it's gone. It's a huge weight that's been lifted knowing that that's not there anymore. And I wouldn't have been able to do that myself. So I really appreciate that.

Thank you.

Speaking to Emily again got me thinking about what justice actually means in a world where successful sexual assault prosecutions are pathetically low, where sex workers are overlooked and ignored, while women are slut shamed and victim blaine over and over again. Maybe this podcast in itself is a form

In fact, they might need it more.

People need to realize that just because we're models or glamor models, or happy to do topless or nude shoots, it doesn't matter any type of photography, that it's not a free pass for you to touch us, breathe on us, get within an inch of our bodies.

I catch up with Herrah one last time too.

I'm so grateful that you've listened, and yeah, you took it on board, and that you guys have been doing so much because.

It's not just him.

This could open people's eyes up to other photographers. You know, this could have like a ripple effect. People might speak out more about it.

I hope so.

Yeah, I mean, the story is always felt important to me, and I think people will listen, and I hope it does change things, and that is what I want from this. This series has always been about the models and for the models, so I'd like to hand over these final moments to some of the women at the heart of this story who bravely shared their experiences in the hopes that it might make the glamour industry safer for everyone.

What would I like to say to Luis.

Definitely he opened my eyes to the dark side of the industry that I didn't know was a thing really until then. Thank you for ruining my life at the time, but Ressis Shark, you haven't ruined it in the long run. Thanks for making me a stronger person.

I actually have nothing. I have nothing to say to him, not a single thing.

I hope you realize this one day, the negative impact that he's having on young women in this industry, and hopefully he stops doing it. And if this podcast manages to reach him in some way, then I hope he takes it all on board, and I hope he is apologetic and remorseful for everything that he's put everyone through.

He seems to have got away with too much, so I hope he's calmer catches up to him soon.

I am so grateful.

For all the girls that have come forward and been vulnerable, including myself. I'm proud of myself for talking through everything.

It's still very vivid to.

Me, everything that had happened. I could recount the entire thing over and either again. It's not something that I've forgotten. All that's diminished of gone over the time, and I can only think, if that's happened with how I feel, then I'm sure it's the same for the other girlies.

Knowing that we're all in this together and having a community of understanding and supporting and helping and lifting each other up and growing with each other means the world to me. I believe every woman on this planet Earth needs embracing, brave, understanding and supportive women around them.

Women support each other and we lean on each other. We're our soulmates and we're our cheerleaders. Women supporting women will actually change the world.

What are you up to now?

So my life has totally changed.

I have just been actually blessed with the best gift I've ever had and became a mom, and I can't wait to just continue loving her protecting her. So right now in life, I'm in such a good place.

I'm now a videographer and photographer for female content creators in the adult industry. I provide that safe space for them that I didn't have back then.

I'm going to be walking in Miami Swim Week, which is an amazing opportunity. I never thought I would have the confidence to do that or be in front of photographers and stuff.

Again, I am thriving in my life. I'm learning, I'm evolving.

What do I want people to take away from hearing these stories?

For people to get a reality check on what the modeling industry really is.

You know, there's a lot of evil and darkness in the industry, and that darkness is being brought into the light and exposed.

I got taught to be quiet, keep your mouth shut. If you see something, it's you that's going to look like the bad person.

No one's going to believe you.

And that's what people do to try and keep people silenced. If anything does, ever, haven't you just know that there is people out there and there is support.

Don't think you have.

To do something just to get to where you want to be. If it doesn't feel right, listen to your heart and don't feel pressured, because the right opportunities are always come back around.

I just hope people are a little bit more open minded. When you see a model's photo, you wonder, actually, did you have a nice time.

At that shoot?

Was she okay at that shoot?

You never know.

We are glamor models first and foremost some of us, do you only fans? Yes, we do consent to being seen nude or in lingerie or scantily clad, and that's absolutely fine.

That doesn't mean that we are deserving.

Of sexual assault. We are not here to be exploited for our content. We are not just objects of sexual desire. We are human beings. We deserve respect the same as anybody else would. I feel a bit of closure.

I feel like I can finally start closing the doors on what happened was and help empower myself to feeling like it wasn't my fault. Also feel very empowered that the podcast has gone out. This is all ever wanted and more for it all to come out and to spread awareness.

If this helps just one person, I'd be happy.

We contacted Luis Gomez multiple times for comment, but we never heard back. He has not been charged with any crimes and is presumed innocent under the law. We also saw a comment from Playboy USA. They declined our request for an interview, but stay that they asked their licensees to blacklist the photographer mentioned in this series and that they prohibit paid to play the practice of charging models to appear in magazines. The Bonnie Trap is produced by Novel.

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