Goleta, Santa Barbara - Twenty people were arrested for prostitution related crimes following a reverse “John” sting conducted by Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Detectives with the Special Investigations Bureau and Santa Barbara Police Officers on July 7th and 8th at an undisclosed hotel in the City of Goleta.
The sting involved investigators placing an online add on backpage.com a website known for online prostitution related advertisements. The advertisement listed the availability of a female willing to engage in sexual acts in exchange for money. Once the ad was placed, a female undercover detective negotiated with an inquiring person or “John” a sexual act for an amount of money. After the negotiation, the undercover detective gave the person her location at the hotel. Once the “John” arrived at the location, that person was arrested for solicitation of prostitution. It should be noted that all subjects arrested were cooperative when contacted by arresting detectives.
The following males were booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail for violation of 647(b) PC, solicitation of prostitution.
59-year-old Nho Nguyen of Santa Barbara
66-year-old Edward Farley of Santa Barbara
51-year-old Allen Obiols of Santa Barbara
20-year-old Vatche Agob of Isla Vista
28-year-old Jesus Saldana of Santa Barbara
35-year-old Justin Litterelle of Philadelphia
31-year-old Ger Hang of Lompoc
44-year-old Laszlo Nagy-Berta of Ventura
43-year-old Eric Fowler of Fresno
20-year-old Isaac Kielmanowicz of Santa Barbara
21-year-old Keisuke Hata of Goleta
34-year-old Ramon Chavez-Antolino of Santa Barbara
48-year-old Christopher Blaul of Santa Barbara
57-year-old Peter Gaum of Santa Barbara
20-year-old Matthew Wu of Santa Barbara
23-year-old Jose Torres of Goleta
56-year-old Antonio Perez-Collado of Goleta
44-year-old Juan Pimentel of Goleta
40-year-old Juan Zepeda-Corona of Solvang
23-year-old Jeremiah Frazier of Santa Barbara
Over the years the number of online prostitution related advertisements have grown significantly in Santa Barbara County including the areas of Goleta and Santa Barbara. Many women who engage in prostitution are victims of various types of abuse and Human Trafficking. One issue that drives Human Trafficking is the demand for women to engage in prostitution. By conducting these types of operations, the intention is to deter people or the “Johns” from searching for a prostitute, thereby reducing the demand and hopefully reducing the amount of women who fall victim to the abuse of Human Trafficking.
