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'Svengali Sex Slave' Case Heads for Supreme Court

Web porn trafficker claims mutilation of woman was consensual

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 14, 2009 4:34 AM CDT
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(Newser) – The Supreme Court yesterday agreed to hear a case involving a sex trafficker, nicknamed the "S&M Svengali," who whipped and mutilated a "sex slave" and then posted photos of it on his for-profit website. Glenn Marcus claims that the acts were consensual, but the woman testified she felt like a prisoner and was manipulated into the situation. Marcus was sentenced to 9 years, but his conviction was overturned on appeal because of errors by the lower court.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals threw out Marcus' conviction because the lower court relied on a law that was not yet passed when the offenses took place. Justice Sonia Sotomayor sat on that court before her recent elevation, and she is expected to sit out the hearing, to be held early next year.

The US Supreme Court building in Washington.
The US Supreme Court building in Washington.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Justice Sonia Sotomayor served on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals during the case under consideration and is expected to recuse herself from next year's hearing.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor served on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals during the case under consideration and is expected to recuse herself from next year's hearing.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
riffran
Oct 14, 2009 11:56 AM CDT
never understood the whole S&M thing...the occasional back nail scratches aint too bad...:)
NxBigmouthery
Oct 14, 2009 11:43 AM CDT
This is a tough one. These 'power exchange' relationships can sometimes be a desire on behalf of the 'submissive' or 'bottom' so the whole psycho-sexual thrill stems from the desire to FEEL like a prisoner and manipulated. I'm not saying that is the case with this particular woman, but it certainly has to be investigated thoroughly before casting the man as some kind of torturer.
Spudsy
Oct 14, 2009 7:12 AM CDT
This could be a really bad case of "he said, she said" but if the woman was really desirous of being mutilated then I would tend to think she was mentally ill. And we need to have laws to protect the mentally ill as we do for any other disability. Now I am not saying that anyone in an S&M relationship is mentally ill. Far from it. But a little role playing is one thing and actually "mutilating" someone is far different.

 
pornography • US Supreme Court • sex slave • Sonia Sotomayor • 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals

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