Syracuse, NY - One man was dropped off in a black Hummer driven by his father. One brought gifts. Among the women, one was pregnant. Another was recovering from neck surgery. One checked the customer for a recording device. They all thought they were about to consummate a sex-for-money deal that began on the Internet. Instead, they met an undercover officer whose negotiations for a sex act was captured on a hidden camera in an apartment rented by the Syracuse Police Department.
In April, Syracuse police arrested 19 men and 17 women after a six-month sting. It was the first time police used an Internet ad to lure johns. The pages of police documents produced by the investigation and obtained under the Freedom of Information Law sheds some light on something that normally occurs behind close doors. The reports provide a front-row seat to the give-and-take between prostitutes and their clients, the precautions taken and not taken and the courtesies sometimes extended beyond the asking price.
The women. The oldest among the women charged in the roundup was 49 and the youngest was Most listed a Syracuse address. Police found their advertisements on backpage. Two of the women said they were married, one was divorced and one was widowed. The apartment and all sting expenses were paid through money seized by federal agents from criminals. Nineteen men were charged with patronizing a prostitute, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.
Seventeen women were charged with prostitution, a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in jail. How it worked? Police answered ads on backpage. Police placed an ad on backpage. They were all directed to Building H, Apt. Negotiations on the phone were taped. After the prostitutes and johns arrived at the apartment, the negotiations were repeated for the benefit of a hidden video camera.
Why the web? In announcing the arrests, police said they noticed street prostitution had dropped precipitously. Officers then moved their efforts to the Internet. John Corbett. What's next? A year-old pregnant woman assured the undercover officer that she was able to have intercourse. When she was arrested, police asked her how pregnant she was. An officer had a hard time understanding one woman who answered a phone listed in an Internet ad. He still had a hard time when he met her at the apartment.
