today. that is all for our discussion today. we'll be back next week. if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." this may not be the las vegas you know. this is the underbelly. an underworld filled with criminals, with undercover cops trying to catch those crooks. >> i told him to pretty much go [ bleep ] himself and catch me if he can. >> in this episode, pimps and

prostitutes. it's a very dangerous world. we go along on an all-out manhunt for a suspected pimp. with our hidden cameras rolling -- the undercover police officer was literally on this for less than four minutes. >> shocking encounters in very public places. >> i mean if you -- >> then, we confront the pimp. >> there's no crime in having 15 girlfriends. >> and the prostitutes. >> i'm done with vegas, and vegas is done with me. >> dig deep sbeer the mind of a criminal. >> if i was a so-called pimp, i would never let my girls go solicit with somebody when they're with me. come on, why would i do that? >> it's just dumb. >> it's real, it's revealing, and it's wrong.

>> for more than a year we gained unpress departmented access to undercover sting operations run by the las vegas police departmenting, including efforts to combat prostitution. it's three-pronged. they go after the prostitutes, the pimps who control the women, and the johns seeking their services. until now nbc news has broadcast only a small part of the footage we recorded. by showing more of the undercover video and my confrontations with those arrested, we hope to shed more light on this illegal and often dangerous way of life. first, we take a look at the pimps and give you an incredible view into how the police try to shut them down. >> they have a unit here.

they have an undercover policewoman stroll down the street dressed as a prostitute. within minutes they have pimps approaching her. >> what do you expect the scenario to be tonight? >> tonight our target is the pimps watching the girls work. if that sa girl they don't recognize as having a pimp or knowing she belongs to another pimp, they're going to try to recruit her. >> lieutenant karen hughes runs the vice squad which includes the pimp investigative team. her unit arrested another a hundred pimps in 2009 while seizing half a million dollars, 19 vehicles, and t17 guns. >> there's this vision of high-classed call girls. >> that's phallicism it's violent, vial, degrading. >> if you're going after the pimp, you're going after the top

of the criminal organization and you elimination a lot of the abuse. >> they're making lots of money. they're their new family. he becomes their daddy. >> i haven't been here long. >> we were allowed go along on one of these investigations. we had incredible access. what they do is they have an undercover policewoman stroll down the strip posing as a prostitute and they wait until pimps or would-be pimps approach the woman and try to recruit her. >> i'm in promotions. >> i need a promoter. >> i've got a cameraman here, camera over there, hidden cameras over there, and these guys are just really aggressive. mean, look, i knew this stuff went on, don't get me wrong, but to see it in real time and to be

so close to it, you know, to be within feet of it, it was remarkable. >> the undercover police officer was literally on the street for less than four minutes when she was approached. and as you can see, the conversation is continuing. if she didn't think he was a pimp, she would have walked away by now. >> i guess it's okay. i mean last night i made $400 with three dates. >> three dates, $400? are you serious? >> i charge 100 bucks for sex. >> you can do better than that, sweetheart. you need a manager. somebody who can help you when the chips are down, keep you up, keat you motivated, keep you focused. you know what i'm saying? it's not easy for anybody out here, especially in the business because it gets scary sometimes. >> it's like they have a script. i'll look out for you. the streets are a tough place for a woman to work on the streets without a pimp. and they work on them, work on

them, and work on them. >> you've been out here for four days. wow, you're fortunate to have met a guy like me. >> are you trying to have sex with me and not pay? one guy tried do that? >> guys will. that's the difference once you get out of the service. when you're in the service, guys are going to pay. i'm kind of nervous. i'm sitting out here -- >> the undercover has to be very careful because some of these guys are violent and even though this is out the open and a lot of precaution is to make sure she's safe, you've got to be careful. >> this is really hit or miss. >> somebody to give me guidance? >> give you guidance. >> i don't know how much you have in your life. >> i don't have anybody. >> you need my help. >> well, i mean, yeah, to get going, referrals, to help me out with, you know, whatever you're going to help me out with? >> that's not a problem at all.

i'm at your service, sweetheart. >> she knows exactly how to play it, and every word is being recorded and listened to by other investigators, so they know right when the line's been crossed. >> so i mean you've got to make the next move be your best move. if you need me there, you've got tony vest h with me, you know what i'm saying? >> once he starts selling his services he's crossing the line, he's breaking the law. >> when i say invests in me, i can't do things for free. >> she makes up an excuse to leave. she says i have to go see ajang. she goes away for an hour, we go away. she comes back to the meeting spot. she gives him some murn, a percentage of what she made for turning the trick and at that point in the investigator's eyes, the law has been broken. they arrest him, they question him, they take him away. at one point i get a chance to

ask him some questions? >> can you ask me a question tonight? >> i was going one way, female going another, she said something, i said something back. next thing you know, i'm in cuffs, man. >> so you just talked and that was it? >> as far as i know, yeah. what else did i do? >> did you promise her anything? >> i didn't maker in any promises. >> did you offer her anything? >> i didn't offer her anything but a friend. >> a friend. did you tell her you could be her pimp? >> i never had -- i never been a pimp in my life. >> you've never been a pimp in your life. >> i'm not a pimp. >> how did you get that money in your pocket? >> she put it in my pocket. >> she put it in your pocket. now, why would a woman who you just met tonight give you money like that? >> because she's working for the police. >> she also told you she was a prostitute, that she was going to turn a trick and that you

would meet like 40 minutes later and that money she gave you was supposed to be from the trick she turned. >> that's not what she said. >> what did she say? >> it was all a blur. >> all a blur. it seems like when i ask the difficult questions about being a pimp, it's all a blur. everything else you remember. >> i feel like i'm a victim of circumstances. >> you're the victim. >> i didn't have intentions -- >> not the woman you tried to recruit so you could pimp. you didn't have to promise her certain things that a pimp would promise? >> it's the recession. my intentions wasn't to come out here and do this. my intention was to get a couple of drinks and go bam home. >> what made you notice her? >> she was a good-looking woman, i was a good-looking dude. that's what attracted me to her. >> so you didn't want to be a pimp? >> never. >> you were set up. >> i was set up. >> unlike others who ultimately

admit to what they've done because they receive the videotaped evidence, these guys arrested by the pimp investigative thing won't give up up a thing. i wasn't do ing it. she was a good-looking girl, i'm a good-looking guy, i was trying to make conversation. they do not give up a thing. >> in court he concedes to more than he did to me. he pleads guilty to a charge of attempted pandering and gets a sentence of one to four years with probation for a maximum of three years. coming up -- vegas p.d. on a manhunt for a suspected pimp. >> i know. i understand you're not over there, but is there anyway you can go to the house? >> they enlist the help of this woman. >> if you had not escaped when you did, where do you think you'd be today? >> i'd either be in the hospital or the morgue. then i confront the suspect. what about at the restaurant that time when she says -- >> wasual following us around at the restaurant that time?

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this is the police department. >> the pimp investigative team also does street operations. and it was interesting because we were actually at their offices and we end up in the middle of this very active case. the s.w.a.t. team went to the house to try to arrest this guy. we watched this case unfold in real action. the s.w.a.t. team is in the house now doing a thorough search to see whether or not this guy is in there. if they find him, they will bring him out. how the cops got here is an interesting story. it started with not one but two 9-1-1 calls. the first was from a woman. >> do you live there?

>> my boyfriend was there and he beat me up. >> and another call from a man claiming he was being victimized. >> i want to report domestic violence. >> the police figured donna was telling the truth, and they figured that steven had a histo history, perhaps, of violence. we start early in the morning. the police are aggressively pursuing the case. hey, donna, chris hanson, nice to see you. the victim, donna, is with them. we are in a parking lot. the goal is to try to find steven harris. it had to be a heck of an experience to find yourself trapped. >> yeah, pretty much. probably one of the worst experiences in my life. >> donna lives in florida. she was in the air force for a while. divorced. she was online, myspace. meets steven. they develop an online relationship of some sort.

she invites him to come to vegas. she figures this could be a legitimate romantic opportunity. how long were you here in vegas before things went bad? >> approximately a week and a half. >> a week and half. >> two weeks. >> earlier we saw a pimp trying to recruit someone that he thought was a prostitute. with donna we see an accused pimp trying to recruit someone who isn't a working girl at all. what happened? >> everything was fine. we went out to eat. there were a couple of gentlemen over there, a couple of older white gentlemen. he said why don't you go over there and talk to him and see what you can do for us. i thought he was kidding. i laughed it off. he told me why didn't you do what i told you to do. you make the -- i make the decisions. you were supposed to go over and talk to those gentlemen and make us some money. >> make some money. >> yeah. >> turn a trick. >> he wanted me to turn a trick and prostitute. >> you had to be thinking this

isn't what i signed up for. >> is that really what you brought me out here for? he said yeah. did you think i really wanted to be there for you? >> he was like, yeah, do you think that was what i want dodd, be with you? i tried to get out of the house. >> what did he do? >> he put his right arm around my stomach and grabbed my hand. i tried to pull away and he threw me across the room. >> threw you across the room. >> yeah, he slung me across the room, i laned on my back, and he started beating me. >> so you got out of the house? >> i sat on the bed and we talked and then i went to the bathroom and he watched me go to the bathroom, which is humiliating. and then -- after that. sorry. >> that's all right. if you had not escaped when you did, where do you think you would be today? >> i'd either be in the hospital or the morgue. >> the cops need to find steven harris, and this is all happening very quickly, and donna bravely agreed to help the police find steven harris.

>> hey. what are you doing? i mean i just wanted to know if i could come by and get my stuff so that i can -- you know, i can find my own way back. >> steven harris tells donna that he's not home. >> is there anyway you can go >> i understand you're not over there, but is there any way you can go to the house? and he's not going to give up the location where he's at. >> okay, all right. whatever. >> the police don't know whether he is lying. he could be hiding out in his big home. they figure when they do get there, it's either going to be an arrest warrant, a search warrant, perhaps both. >> steven harris, las vegas police department. come outside. you need do it now. >> there was nobody home. steven harris apparently hadn't been there for a while. all of a sudden steven harris calls one of the detectives on the pimp investigative team who had been trying to reach him for

days, trying to track him down. this is where it gets interesting. >> hey, steven. how are you doing, man? let me ask you a question. it's not maanndatory or anythin like that, but would you be willing to fill out a written statement about what happened to get your side of the story? >> they set up a meeting and here he comes, steven harris. they arrest steven harris. as they're taking him to the police car, i approach him. i ask him if he wants to talk. >> i'm chris hansen, "dateline," nbc. >> once he figures out who it is, he wants to tell the story. >> we are doing the story on pimps in las vegas. >> coincidence. >> lucky for me. >> you ever see our show "to catch a predator?"

>> what is she? 17 or something? >> no. >> good. >> but the word on the street, steven, is that you're a pimp. >> no. >> she just made this up? >> she made a lot of stuff up evidently. >> was you following us around at the restaurant? >> i will get to that. you tell her to go up to a group of men. >> no. that never happened. i never -- >> so she's making all this up. >> okay. so what happened. i told her -- >> you said go up to that group of men and see what you can figure out. see what you can do for them. >> if i was a so-called pimp, i would never let someone of my girls go solicit somebody while they are with me. come on, get real. why would i do that. that's just dumb. if i was a pimp, i wouldn't have do that. so that story right there is totally a lie, made up. >> the picture that starts to come together here is one of you grooming her like so many other pimps groom women. >> i told her she could be my woman. that's all it was, you know what i'm saying? >> right. >> we did everything that you

would do with a woman or even sore millimeter, you dig? >> how come you whooped her? >> she told you i whooped her? >> she said she was defending herself. >> did you see anything where she was beat up? >> so you're the victim here. >> honestly i'm the victim. first, she beats me up. i call domestic violence on her and now i'm going to jail for domestic violence, yes, i'm the victim here. >> so you're saying you never pimped any woman. >> no. i called domestic violence on the girl because she beat me up. that's our system. that's what i want folks to know. so men out there, if you think you want to call the cops because your spouse beat you up, you might want to thing about that again. >> all right. listen, i appreciate your talking to me. >> no problem. >> after our meeting, steven harris pleads guilty to pandering and is sentenced to 90 days in jail. coming up -- >> he sat on my arms.

>> two women with the same pimp tell remarkably similar stories. >> how many times did he beat you altogether? >> too many to count. >> and i confront him. >> how do you make your living? >> i'm one too. >> you're one what? >> i am an entertainer. whatever you want to call it. i am an entertainer. >> when vegas undercover raw continues. e working on it. so you're seriously proposing we change our name to sun life valley. do we still get to go skiing? sooner or later, you'll know our name. sun life financial.

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las vegas. casinos. restaurants. and shows. drawing 40 million tourists a year. it's known as an adult playground. here is the man who runs the las vegas police department and is aware of his town's reputation. sin city. this is a perception across the country that certain behavior is tolerated here. >> i know the advertising that you see out there may give

people that impression, but it's far from that. we're a very proact irv, hard-working, progressive police organization. >> i think there is also the perception that prostitution is legal. >> well, in clarke county, it's illegal. it's a very dirty business. there is a lot of criminal activity associated with it. we're very aggressive in going after the three components of the prostitution. you have the pimps, you have the prostitutes, and then you have the clients, and all three get attention by us. >> one of the reasons why the pimp investigative team is so aggressive about going after the pimps is that in many cases, they are violent guys. we are introduced to two women, jessica and elizabeth, who tell remarkably similar stories about living with, working for, and being abused by.

mario. >> how are you? >> mario is slick. he meets with elizabeth, senses apparently that she is in a real bad spot, and within an hour convinces her to come to work for him. >> how did he come off? was he a charming guy? >> absolutely. you know, he would drive up in his escalade, $10,000 worth of jewelry on. of course, it's attractive. >> what did he tell you? >> he asked me what i wanted to do with my life. you know, what i wanted. that he can make it all happen. and i packed my stuff and an hour later i was in his condo. >> how much would you talk? >> i had a quota. >> what was the quota? >> $1,200 to $1,500 a night. >> what would happen if you didn't make that quota? >> he would make sure. >> elizabeth tells horrifying tales how mario used threats, intimidation to keep his girls

in line. >> so he shaved your head? >> yes. on the lowest setting of the clippers. >> he knows your weaknesses. >> and he knows how to exploit them. >> it would be i would be so scared of him that i would pass out. >> did he ever hit you or abuse you? >> yes. >> tell me about that. >> i saw him hit one of the girls, and he was so nonshall land. and i had never been exposed to anything like that, and i was like, you know what? i don't respect men who hit women, and he slammed my head into the floor. >> why did you stay? >> i really had no other choice. you know, after that, yeah. i tried to get out. and there was no leaving. he wouldn't let me. >> what would he do? >> he would be like all right. go pack your stuff. and if i actually did it, he would beat me so severely.

>> how many times did he beat you? >> too many to count. >> yet you stayed. >> i couldn't leave. >> but elizabeth does eventually leave. mario is out of town and she decides enough is enough and makes her daring escape. >> elizabeth tells her story. to the police. mario's arrested. he makes bail. and then when he's out on bail is when he apparently beats up jessica. >> he beat me up because he thought i was lying to him. >> because he thought you were lying. >> mm-hmm. he thought i was cheating on him. >> remarkably jessica's story is almost identical to elizabeth's. >> i woke up and he started yelling at me asking me who it was, and before i could answer him, yeah, he picked me up and threw me off the coach. >> what did he do then? >> slid on the floor. and then he sat on my arms. >> pinned you down. >> mm-hmm.

that's when he hit me in my face. >> similarly, when he is accused of beating up jessica, he also cuts off some of her hair. jessica agrees to be interviewed. the detective gets a warrant and basically there is a manhunt. there is an interesting parallel because that detective actually went to high school with mario. and mario knows that chris is coming after him and chris knows that mario is going do his best not to get caught. >> hi. i'm back. is mario here? where's he at? do you know? you don't know? all right, chris. he is not here. what we did find, the hair that he cut, shaved, chopped off her head -- >> they check out two other locations where he has been known to stay. >> nobody home. >> he is not there. and then there is a phone call. it's mario's lawyer. he has agreed to turn himself

in. he makes bail again, and this is when i decide go pay a visit to mario's home. >> look, i wanted to get your side of the story on this. >> i'm innocent. only thing i am guilty of is being black and having a girlfriend who's a prostitute. there's no crime in having 15 girlfriends. i'm judged. i'm not married. i'm still young. >> there is no crime in having 15 girlfriends. were they going out and turning tricks and giving you money? >> that's what i'm saying. no, they wasn't. i never told her she could go sell her [ bleep ] and get some money and give it to me. that never happened. >> how do you make your living then? >> i'm one too. >> you're one too what. >> i'm an escort myself. >> so you make money being an escort? >> i am an entertainer. however you want to call it. i'm an entertainer.

whatever you want to call it. i'm addicted to pretty women. that's all it is. >> they were turning over their earnings to you. >> they don't have no evidence. >> jessica had a black eye and bruises all over her body. she claims -- >> that's what she claims, but i will tell you like this. i am innocent of all of that and in the end the truth will come out. >> mario davis denies wrong doing to me, but he pleads guilty to pandering and is sentenced to five years' probation. you know, it's interesting, five years' probation seemed light to a lot of people and i posed this question to chris baufman. he said, look, we've got a guilty plea, we've got it on the record, and if he does one thing wrong in five years, he's going go away for a long time. so either he stops doing it and we have achieved our goal or he messes up and he is gone for a long, long time. coming up, vegas police set

up a sting operation to catch prostitutes turning more than one trick. when "vegas undercover:raw" continues. [ female announcer ] when kate collects her pink yoplait lids she's supporting breast cancer programs for her neighbour's tennis instructor's daughter's 1st grade teacher who's also her mom. help fund breast cancer programs in your community. redeem your lids today

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i'm milissa rehberger. here's what's happening. a 7.2 quake struck the region. 8, 500 people have been killed. that number's expected to climb dramatically. three days after gadhafi's murder, they declared his country liberated. they say to expect elections for parliament within a year. now back to "vegas undercover." welcome back to ""vegas undercover: raw.""

we have seen vegas police officers putting themselves on the line to hunt down the dangerous violent men controlling the prostitution industry, the pimps. next in never-before-broadcast surveillan surveillance, you see what happens when the vegas vice squad sets up another undercover sting, this time to take down the call girls. >> what are we looking for? >> tonight we're looking for the prolific prostitute. she makes her living out of more than just prostitution. >> karen hughes is in charge of this vice squad. she is not just going after the working girls for prostitution but she is taking aim at theft. >> she is stealing from her clients, and we call those trick rolls. >> trick rolls. >> trick rolls. >> the male undercover officer checks into a hotel room. it's wired with cameras and microphones. she comes and there's an

expensive watch and cash and wallet. they see if the woman takes it. how often does this go on? >> all the time. it goes on all the time. >> the reason the police do the trick roll sting operations is because the reality is a lot of the guys are not going to report this because they're embarrassed by what's happened. >> the undercover police officer posing as the john calls for the escort service or the call girl and literally within minutes the woman is knocking on the door. so this woman was familiar to you guys. >> yes. she was encountered last night by one of the enforcement teams. >> how long has she been in the game? >> probably a couple of months, according to her. she works for an escort service now. worked at a strip club prior to that and was a preschool teacher prior to that. >> she was a teacher? >> went into cocktails. >> we are going actually have sex, right?

>> uh-huh. >> the drunk trick is basically when the undercover police officer posing as the john acts like he's had too much to drink and passes out, thus creating the potential opportunity for the woman to take the money, the watch, whatever's out there. >> do you need help? >> can you give me a back rub or something? >> yeah. >> how old are you in. >> 27. i thought, hey, i can bust my butt and work for a month. >> she gives him a massage. he passes out. she checks to make sure that he is out.

and she, in fact, takes a substantial amount of money, something like $1,100. >> go. >> how strong is the videotape as evidence? >> almost irrefutable. not only do you have the undercover officer that will testify that that's the same individual that he encountered, but we have the videotape as well. >> the former preschool teacher pleads guilty to soliciting but gets the larceny charge dismissed as part of a plea agreement. she's sentenced to time served. >> when another appointment arrives, this time instead of playing drunk, the undercover officer is in a wheelchair and police are in for a surprise. >> i'm in here too. >> are you too? >> i know it's kind of hard to believe, but this woman is actually pregnant. >> this is one of those sad

cases. how bad is this woman's life that while pregnant, she shows up to turn a trick in some guy's hotel room. it's a sad case. >> how many months were you over there? >> several months. i'm blowing up now. it's not fun. don't get pregnant. thank god for guys. do you mind helping me up? i'm sorry. >> the pregnant suspect helps the undercover officer over to the couch. she seems concerned. >> are you okay? mm-hmm. >> you look fine. i'm worried about you. >> i'm fine.

>> they negotiate the deal for $500 for two hours and even though she's clearly pregnant, she says there's clearly no limit to what she could do for him. >> it's in my backpack. it's on the -- you can just grab $500 from there. >> in the wallet or -- >> in the wallet. the wallet. you can grab it. >> i'm going to bring you your wallet. >> okay. >> even my friends when they say go in my purse, i'm like, you go in your own purse. >> don't put her down. do not put her down. >> relax, relax, relax. stand up, stand up.

turn around. turn around. >> it's important to say not everybody stole. you know. many were quite concerned about the well being of the so-called john, the undercover police officer maybe though in her mind she was taking money that she was owed, it's still illegal and she was arrested. the pregnant prostitute pleads guilty to so listing. coming up -- the sting nets with unof las vegas's most active prostitutes. >> ooh, those are nice. >> this woman is considered a v.e.t.o. she's one of the 50 most prolific prostitutes in las vegas. and i get to talk to her, find out what life on the streets is like. >> and how did you end up in this situation?

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las vegas police department vice squad targets pimps, prostitutes and johns. they have been a very busy unit, trying to put a scare into the criminal community. over a two-year span from 2008 to 2009, undercover officers make more than 7,000 arrests for soliciting prostitution. nearly 500 come from their trick roll sting. and they give us an all-access pass to witness the sting first hand. it is an undercover operation with inherent danger. >> drop it. >> i didn't do anything. >> the goal is to round up women who are not only selling their bodies, but turning some other tricks on their customers.

>> it's a hotel room, and it looks like a guy has been staying there. there's an expensive watch out, in this case, a rolex, some chips of some value, cash, and a wallet. if somebody wanted to take advantage of the situation, it's all right there, and all being recorded by hidden cameras and microphones. as our cameras record the action, some suspected prostitutes steal. >> two more bills. >> it's important to point out that a fair number don't take anything other than the negotiated price. they may have been honest -- >> turn around. >> bsh but they are still arrested for soliciting. and the cops recognize some of the ladies coming through the door, like this woman who is a very familiar face. police know her by name. shannon. >> this woman is considered a v.e.t.o., vice enforcement top

offender. she's allegedly one of the 50 most prolific prostitutes here in las vegas, according to detectives, and because of that, they believe she's more likely to try to rob ajang. >> ooh, those are nice. >> just like an earlier encounter, the undercover officer is pretending to be passed out. >> this is watching. >> i think so. >> how many times has she been arrested? >> lots. >> 30, 40 times, maybe. >> what's surprising, you know, is how somebody so young can be so prolific. you know, you can see the toll it's taken on her life. it's rough. >> she's trying to check out the wallet, but she can only do it with one hand and that's not gimp her enough. >> right. >> she already knows what she has in the chips. >> tucking the money into her skirt. >> she doesn't touch the rolex.

>> she doesn't >> a tense moment for shannon. >> she is going get some of the chips. i told you. >> she just needs to leave. >> you see it coming. for once the woman takes the money or the chips or the watch, you know she will be arrested. >> once the woman takes the money, the watch, you know she's going to be arrested. >> oh my god. >> coming up, a candid conversation with one of las vegas' most prolific prostitutes. we heard that you had been arrested some 50 times. is that true? >> probably. >> an opportunity to tap into the mind of a career criminal. >> i am done with vegas and

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go. >> the las vegas police department pimp investigation team. >> stand up. turn around. >> i didn't do anything. >> ran a sting operation to catch prosecutes in the act. >> those are nice. >> not just for soliciting but for stealing from johns, too. some took the bait. others didn't. but the only thing for sure is behind the glitz of the vegas strip there's a dark story to be told. i first saw shannon, designated one of las vegas' most prolific prostitutes when she entered the hotel. and after the arrest, i wanted to find out from her what makes

a woman arrested nearly 50 times keep going back to that life. what happened? >> i was stupid. is that what you mean? >> you were stupid? >> we had heard that you had been arrested some 50 times. is that true? >> probably. i think so. >> do you know what v.e.t.o. is? >> yeah, i am. yeah, i do know. >> shannon has been in trouble with the law so many time she has been designated a v.e.t.o., a vice enforcement top offender. you are one of the top. >> 50 most active prostitutes in las vegas. >> that's why i am mad at myself right now. i try to settle down. >> how did you get designated? >> i am -- i have been out here eight years. i have been out here every single day. i have been busted more than a million and one times. >> more than a million and one

times? >> by every single police officer in las vegas. >> how old are you? >> 24. >> how did you end up in this situation? >> an ex-boyfriend of mine. >> is that how you got into the life? >> how old were you then? >> i was 17, 18. >> how much money can you make doing this? >> you don't make good money anymore. that's the whole point. >> you've got to make some m money. >> i mean you make the money because you want to get things, back in the day you would make money. i would make money. >> back in the day how long ago? >> five years ago i made like $2,000 a day. >> $2,000 a day? what did you do with the money? >> stupid stuff. >> drugs? >> no. when i first started doing it yeah i was on drugs. >> what kind of drugs? >> i used to do speed. i had a baby and gave my baby up. >> you have been clean what? four or five years? >> no, two years. >> what kind of men do you meet?

>> sometimes i meet weirdos. like really weirdos. >> how weird? >> they want to call me a little girl and want me to tell them they are my daddy. they're 10 years old. >> do you have a pimp or do you run this on your own? >> i had one a long time ago when i first got into it and he pistol whipped me three times. >> whipped you? >> i got welts all over my hand. >> so you ran away? >> he actually went to prison for life. >> now how much money can you make doing this? >> i don't know. now i really don't count. i am not out there like that. i am banned from vegas. i am done with vegas and vegas is done with me and this is not the life for anybody to take. seriously. >> where do you go from here? >> i think i'm going to jail.

>> at some point after being arrested 50 times, that's going to lead to a serious sentence. >> yeah, i'm in some -- >> how do you get out of this? >> i have to give it up. >> is that your plan? >> yeah. >> is there anything else you want folks to know? >> don't get in it. it's not fun. not at all. >> shannon's past does catch up with her. >> here in vegas there is the thought that prostitution is legal. there are numerous 800 numbers, call girl services. it's here.

it's sad. sad. very dark. i don't care if they are the most prolific prostitute in las vegas, these are hard lives. while there is certainly good reason to do an investigation like this, i mean, nobody who saw or took part in it was high-fiving that they caught somebody doing it. the las vegas police department stepped up their vice squad investigations like the ones that we have shown you this hour in response to a significant spike in criminal activity. >> soon after the crackdown, a 40% reduction in vice-related theft and all major crimes involving pimps, prostitutes and johns started trending downward. a trend they hope will continue in an effort to reach their goal