Prostitution sting leads to 104 arrests
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Rented furnishings and hidden cameras were among the props Seattle police vice detectives used to arrest 104 men who showed up at a ritzy downtown condo in the past two weeks expecting to pay for sex. Nearly three-fourths of the men who were arrested on suspicion of patronizing a prostitute responded to postings in the “erotic services” category on craigslist, the free online community where people can search for apartments, jobs, used cars, friends and dates. The rest answered escort ads found in the back pages of The Stranger and Seattle Weekly. “We wanted to prove craigslist was in fact a vehicle for promoting prostitution,” said Lt. Eric Sano, commander of the Seattle Police Department’s vice unit. Escorts and the agencies that represent them have long argued that clients pay only for the companionship of a beautiful woman, Sano said, “but for the most part, that’s not how it works.” The vice unit launched its elaborate investigation after receiving numerous community complaints about prostitutes advertising on craigslist, Sano said. More : seattletimes.nwsource.com |