Vegas Concierge is a deep dive into the American heart of darkness, a much needed outing of a society that allows its most vulnerable to be trampled by unchecked desire and greed. Brian Joseph has done a remarkable and undaunted job of investigative journalism.
— Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author and executive producer and writer of Bosch, Amazon Prime Video drama
With meticulous research and gripping storytelling, Brian Joseph exposes sex traffickers’ tactics, urging us to confront this epidemic and advocate for the silenced voices seeking justice.
— Mimi Walters, former California congresswoman, co-author of the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act
Readers will take a journey into the underbelly of Las Vegas and learn the grim realities for people in the sex trade in Vegas Concierge. Brian Joseph keeps it real and raw by bringing this darkness to the light and displaying the resilience of those who are able to survive prostitution and sex trafficking.
— Bekah Charleston, founder of Bekah Speaks Out, lived experience expert, survivor, and advocate
In Vegas Concierge, journalist Brian Joseph confronts a social ill that has remained in the shadows for far too long. With sensitivity and compassion, Joseph paints an authentic picture of the tragic lives of sex trafficking victims and how American society continues to fail them.
— Lou Correa, U.S. representative
An investigative journalism tour de force on a painful problem that ultimately compels clearer-eyed action—and a page-turner of a book. You really get to know the prostitutes, pimps and cops at the heart of the story, and maybe best of all, the journalist who pressed ahead even after the Las Vegas Review–Journal told him to stop and locked up his notes. He persisted. Now, what happened in Vegas isn't staying in Vegas.
— Duff Wilson, investigative reporter, three-time Pulitzer finalist
Brian Joseph has created a masterpiece of investigative reporting. Deeply reported and sensitively written, Vegas Concierge is a call to action to address the scourge of sex trafficking in America.
— Kevin Malone, anti-human trafficking abolitionist; author of Scouting the Enemy; former general manager, LA Dodgers and Montreal Expos
Brian Joseph courageously sheds light on the political corruption that allows the sex trafficking industry to thrive on the Las Vegas Strip. He masterfully demonstrates the violence and trauma bonding sex traffickers use to maintain control over their victims. Truly a must read!
— Jodi Niswonger, PhD, trauma specialist based in Las Vegas
Vegas Concierge is the real deal, both the wide societal lens and the intimate, personal tale. This is intricate, it is what investigative reporting should be. Anyone who paid attention to Puffy’s house being raided, who has ever wondered whether the most braggadocious parts of hip hop are true, or how Vegas really operates, well, this is the book for you. At its core we follow a young woman who gets caught up in the nightmare. This is a story about power, about police and politics, about what really happens in Vegas, and then how it emanates outwards through all of society. Brian Joseph has hooked and reeled in a true whale. Read this book.
— Charles Bock, bestselling author of I Will Do Better and Beautiful Children
From the glitter of the Las Vegas strip to the grit of back rooms in the hood, Vegas Concierge: Sex Trafficking, Hip Hop, and Corruption in America author Brian Joseph takes the reader on a journey through the wild world of sex trafficking. Pulling no punches, but taking plenty of prisoners, Joseph's cinematic style reveals a stark portrait of the dangers, dramas, and (sometimes) deaths of the participants involved in that world as well as the real lives of the people behind the personas. While writers and filmmakers have romanticized that brutality for decades, journalist Brian Joseph is more concerned with hardcore truths.
— Michael A. Gonzales, contributor, CrimeReads.com; former writer-at-large for Vibe, The Source, Ego Trip and XXL
Brian Joseph cuts through the stigmas and stereotypes most often associated with sex trafficking to give us an unsettling, disturbing picture of what is really happening to countless victims in Las Vegas and all over the country. He tells an absorbing story of pimps and their victims and how law enforcement’s efforts have been increasingly frustrated as Hip Hop and Hollywood have romanticized sex trafficking and made it seem more mainstream. This is an important and necessary book.
— Nick Owchar, former deputy editor and contributor, Los Angeles Times Book Review
Brian Joseph has written a gutsy and courageous book that displays his old school journalistic passion to comfort the afflicted while confronting a diminished old line media.
— Dan Morain, journalist and author of Kamala’s Way: An American Life
Vegas Concierge starts as a deep dive into the hidden world of sex trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery. But it has an extraordinary cast of characters. Its chief villain is Mally Mall, a reality TV star and hip-hop producer who has worked with Drake and Justin Bieber. Despite his fame, Mally was, in real life, a ruthless pimp who exploited women and stole their earnings. Brian Joseph, who lost his job at the Las Vegas Review–Journal trying to expose the problem, courageously unearths this world with the help of Angela, who managed to escape Mally’s clutches. A riveting read.
— David Heath, investigative journalist, author of Longshot
The best investigative reporting combines deep background research with human sources to help the reader understand the scope of a societal problem in ways that manifest change. Brian Joseph’s work reflects the tiresome work necessary to understand massive institutions and the dogged pursuit of a story that illuminates the depravity of sex trafficking. Trafficking depends, for its very existence, on the willingness of myriad institutions to look the other way. Vegas Concierge takes dead aim at the issue, and by doing so, sheds light into the darkness.
— Charles N. Davis, PhD, dean, Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia
In Vegas Concierge, award-winning investigative journalist Brian Joseph illustrates a gut-wrenching tale spanning across America with Las Vegas at the epicenter. A story of human frailty exploited by lust for sex and riches; a city built on the ashes of human dignity; and power defending the whole sordid arrangement by allowing law enforcement to do just enough, but not so much that it would hurt Sin City’s business model, we then understand Las Vegas’ starring role in the evil of sex trafficking, with the entertainment industry playing supporting actor.
— Chuck DeVore, executive, Texas Public Policy Foundation; former California State assemblyman
A long overdue and blunt look at the heart-wrenching life of women forced into sex trafficking in plain sight in Sin City, where women are mere pawns in the hands of rich, powerful men. A wake-up call for America.
— Joe Dunn, former Democratic California state senator
Vegas Concierge is a very provocative and troubling book. Brian Joseph's depth of research and analysis exposes a dark side of life that does not usually get discussed. This book brings the topic to the front and points out the difficulties of trying to cure it. Hopefully, it will influence others in the future to treat it more seriously. Kudos to Brian for his tenacity in showing all of us this serious issue.
— Dick Ackerman, former Republican California state senator
Brian Joseph is a widely respected investigative journalist and this book manifests the rationale for that label. He here presents the story of prostitution in Las Vegas, its victims, police interactions and investigatory failures. It is scrupulously documented, with identified sources and an extraordinary appendix of evidentiary details. The relevant underpinnings, ranging from Hip-Hop to terminology to uncoordinated law enforcement impotence, underlay this work. Importantly, he presents the issue through life story narratives of victims, pimps, public disclosures, and occasional prosecutions—albeit with dubious overall preventive efficacy. Telling it in the form of a story involving named persons and detailed events brings a complex problem to life in a way that is both troubling and fascinating. If we want to lessen the sexual abuses of young girls that carry over to ruin the lives of so many, we need to know what this book reveals.
— Robert C. Fellmeth, former criminal prosecutor; price professor of Public Interest Law and director of Children’s Advocacy Institute, University of San Diego
Brian Joseph had me from page one. He writes, 'Pimps are master manipulators who use psychology to bind their victims in invisible chains and control them.' Vegas Concierge exposes those chains to dismantle their power. Fast-paced and thoughtful, the real life depictions read like a novel. Joseph got in the trenches, risking life and reputation to once-and-for-all wreck the fairytale that most sex workers chose the so-called 'life'. Allow the stories to ignite you, and you might become useful in this fight. As much as knowledge is power, so this journalistic masterpiece empowers you to be the change. Once you see the reality, you'll never unsee it, and you'll be able to spot it anywhere. That is what we need. Let it grab you. Join the march of freedom. Together, we can crush this.
— Esse Johnson, speaker
Vegas Concierge by Brian Joseph offers a deep dive into the dark underworld of sex trafficking in the United States. Joseph exposes the grim realities faced by both victims and perpetrators, urging readers to confront the uncomfortable truths surrounding this prolific crime. By highlighting the psychological manipulation and coercion tactics employed by traffickers, Joseph sheds light on the insidious nature of exploitation, rising above the far too common misconception that victims have a choice to walk away. With a delicate balance of empathy and accountability, Joseph amplifies the voices of survivors while condemning the actions of their exploiters, ultimately issuing a powerful call to action against the indifference that can perpetuate sex trafficking. Vegas Concierge stands as a sobering and thought-provoking exploration of the crime of our time: sex trafficking in modern America.
— Shannon Grove, California state senator