City leaders, police questioning men's sex group

Raleigh, N.C. — A group registered as a nonprofit agency is raising the eyebrows of one Raleigh elected leader, inspectors and police – all who say they are trying to determine if there's something illegal going on.

According to an e-mail advertisement from the Marketing and Networking Fellowship Group, the business – off of U.S. Highway 64 in northeast Raleigh – is a place for men to engage in sexual activities 24 hours a day for a monthly membership fee.

Neighboring businesses say they have seen mattresses, TVs and bar stools recently being delivered in anticipation of an open-house event scheduled for Wednesday evening.

That meeting, however, was canceled Wednesday afternoon after city inspectors attempted to get an explanation for the establishment.

"This is effectively a brothel," Raleigh City Councilman Philip Isley said. "Or it's a place where people can pay for sex, which, I hope, in this day and age is still illegal."

Attempts to contact three individuals listed on paperwork for the group – Joshua Stilwell, Greg Leonard and Calvin Pleasants – were unsuccessful. A fourth individual who answered the door at an address on the paperwork had no comment.

City leaders said they were unaware of the group and that it has no building permits and no business or adult entertainment licenses.

"This sort of thing is so out of the scope of what I could ever imagine happening," Isley said. "I mean, it's almost – I wonder if it's a hoax."