Criminal Justice Quote: Chief of Police Busted in Prostitution Sting

     A south Florida police chief is out of a job after being accused of soliciting a prostitute who turned out to be an undercover cop. Former Miami Gardens Police Chief Stephen Johnson was arrested in Dania Beach on February 27, 2015. After posting his bail, Johnson said, "I want to apologize to the community. Tonight was a very unfortunate situation for me dealing with an incident that occurred today. It just overwhelmed me. The stress overwhelmed me, and I made a very bad decision to deal with that moment that I have never experienced before." Johnson blamed his actions on stress at work.

     "When I saw two grieving families and the overwhelming issue to face them, it brought something that's totally out of character with me," he said. "And people know me. That is just not my character. Bad decisions on how to deal with that, but I've never dealt with that kind of feeling before, so I can't even explain it." [Huh?]

"Florida Police Chief Fired After Prostitution Arrest," CBS News, February 8, 2015 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Silicon Valley Sex Trade

     The arrest in July 2014 of alleged prostitute Alix Tichelman in connection with the death of Google executive Forrest Timothy Hayes has prostitutes worried about the impact on business [The authorities in Santa Cruz, California charged Tichelman with manslaughter in connection with Hayes' heroin overdose death on his luxury boat in November 2013.] "I do worry that people are going to think that this is something that's normal and happens, but it really doesn't," said Maxine Holloway, a high-end prostitute working in Silicon Valley. Other sex workers expressed worry as well--though none said they had experienced cancellations...

     A second issue affecting business was the shut down of MyRedbook, a website that allowed escorts to advertise their services and negotiate with clients. Women in the industry relied heavily on MyRedbook to do background checks on their clients. Sex workers would post about instances of violence or  circumstances in which they felt unsafe. Without MrRedbook, prostitutes were having a difficult time vetting their clients…

     Male clients also used the site to review and discuss their experiences…Call girls say that the further underground sex work goes, the more dangerous it is for everyone involved…

     Another prostitute said she has a roster of regular clients from major tech companies. She is a high-end prostitute and estimates she's made nearly $ million over the ten years she's been working in the area. She says that her clients [I guess they don't call them Johns in the high-end prostitution prostitution  business.] are increasingly worried about their own security, which is one of the reasons they come back to her. They know what they are getting.

Laurie Segall and Erica Fink, "Sex Valley: Tech's Booming Prostitution Trade," CNN, July 11, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Patronizing Prostitutes: One Old Customer

     According to New Castle, Pennsylvania police, two officers observed  35-year-old Brandy Lynn Bartley loitering on South Mill Street. They saw her get into a car driven by Harry Anthony Mooney, 83, about 9 PM on Wednesday, June 28, 2014. Officers arrested Bartley and searched her purse. They found a glass pipe commonly used to ingest crack cocaine.

     A Lawrence County prosecutor charged Bartley with promoting prostitution and possession of drug paraphernalia. The 83-year-old suspect was charged with patronizing a prostitute….

"Man, Woman to Face Prostitution Charges," New Castle News, June 20, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: How Big is Sex Trafficking in the U.S.?

     Estimates of the number of victims of human trafficking in the U.S. vary widely. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has estimated there are between 100,000 and 300,000 child victims of trafficking, though it no longer uses these figures, acknowledging the difficulty in measuring the scope of the problem.

     The Polaris Project, a nonprofit organization founded to combat human trafficking and "modern day slavery," has counted about 14,000 sex trafficking cases in the U.S. over the last six years, based on the number of calls to its national hotline. In 2012, the Department of Justice convicted 138 human traffickers in cases involving forced labor, sex trafficking of adults and sex trafficking of children, compared to 151 convictions in 2011. The majority of the cases involved sex trafficking.

     Human trafficking is a $9.8 billion annual industry in the U.S., according to the nonprofit Shared Hope International organization.

Monica Alba, "Super Bowl Surge in Sex Trafficking? Maybe Not, But Issue Grabs the Spotlight," NBC News, January 29, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Crappiest Little Whorehouses in Texas

     Fifteen women and three men were arrested on May 19, 2014 after a double prostitution sting in East Harris County, Texas.

     Undercover officers went into the suspected locations, a bar and a cantina located just east of Houston, disguised as customers after several complaints. A makeshift bedroom was discovered in the restrooms. The group had a total of 21 charges of prostitution and other crimes.

"Texas Prostitution Ring Busted," dve.com, May 20, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Child Prostitution Pimp Gets 17 to Life

     Prosecutors say an Orange County, California man has been sentenced to 17 years to life in state prison for luring a teenager into prostitution. Chuncey Tarae Garcia received the sentence Friday, May 16, 2014 under a state law that increases penalties for human trafficking, especially the sex trafficking of children.,

     The 34-year-old was convicted in March 2014 of one count of human trafficking and one count of pimping a minor under 16, both felonies. Garcia was previously convicted of cocaine possession. Authorities say Garcia met the girl, a 14-year-old runaway identified as Jane Doe, last year through one of his prostitutes who recruited women for him.

     Garcia was arrested during a routine traffic stop for a broken headlight. The officer became suspicious when he saw the girl in the car.

"Man Sentenced Under State's Human Trafficking Law," Associated Press, May 17, 2014 

Cop Arrested for Soliciting Prostitution

     A suburban Minneapolis police chief was arrested for allegedly soliciting a prostitute in February 2014--but stayed on the job until March 22, 2014. Robbinsdale's former top cop, Steven Smith, was one of 11 people who allegedly responded to a Backpage.com escorts advertisement, police in nearby Coon Rapids said in a release.

     Smith, 45, kept working until March 22--four days after a Coon Rapids officer happened to recognize him from his mugshot….The towns are twenty miles apart. According to Captain Cary Parks, "Smith had no identification on him [when arrested] that indicated he was a police officer." No one realized they'd cuffed the high-profile suspect….

     Cops said Smith had offered to pay $150 in cash for sex and $50 more not to use a condom….He used the name Scott as a alias….

     Coon Rapids police say the department is not obligated to notify an employer if one of its employees is arrested. State policy requires that cops notify their department within three days of an arrest….

Stephen Rex Brown, "Minnesota Police Chief Busted For Prostitution," New York Daily News, March 25, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: 15-Year-Old Girl Pimped by Mom at Super Bowl

     ….Manhattan prosecutors indicated on Monday, February 3, 2014 they will seek felony charges against Yolanda Ostoloza, who was nabbed January 29 after her daughter agreed to take $200 to have sex with an undercover cop at the New York Hilton in Midtown….Ostoloza, 39, brought her daughter…to New York with a pimp "knowing full well" that the girl would be "engaging in an escorting, prostitution situation."….

     "We came up here to work and make money with a pimp," the bad mom allegedly told cops. "I knew it was for escorting and prostitution. I thought my daughter was just going to do the fetish stuff."…

Shayna Jacobs, "Florida Mom Accused of Pimping 15-Year-Old Daughter During Super Bowl Week Faces Jail Time," New York Daily News, February 4, 2014  

Criminal Justice Quote: Prostitution Raids in China

     A state television expose on prostitution in China's "sex capital" and an ensuing, much-publicized police crackdown has drawn criticism from members of the public who have expressed sympathy for the sex workers. [These critics] suggest that authorities target other kinds of wrongdoing.

     Coverage of the weekend raid [February 8 and 9, 2014] by 6,500 officers in the southern city of Dongguan--filled with images of handcuffed women with their heads bowed--spurred many people to post comments online that were more critical of China's Central Television broadcaster's reporting and the crackdown than the prostitution it uncovered….

     Some online users suggested the women ended up in the sex business because they had sick parents or siblings to support, and called for authorities to offer more care to them during the crackdown. Others said police manpower would be better used rooting out corruption among public officials and other crimes. Some voices called for China's now entrenched sex trade to be made legal and to end the discrimination against sex workers….

Louise Watt, "China Cracks Down On Its 'Sex Capital'," Associated Press, February 11, 2014 

Child Prostitutes Rescued Over Super Bowl Weekend

Sixteen children as young as 13, and some of whom who had been reported missing by their families, were rescued from the sex trade in a law enforcement sting operation that targeted alleged pimps who brought the victims to New Jersey for Super Bowl weekend….More than 45 pimps and their associates were arrested in the operation conducted by law enforcement….Some admitted traveling to New Jersey from other states for the purpose of forcing women and children to have sex with Super Bowl tourists for money….The victims rescued during the sting operation range in ages 13 to 17 years old….

"Missing Children Rescued From Super Bowl Sex Trade in FBI Sting," February 4, 2014