March 2 – Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Special Investigation Bureau, after conducting an extensive series of undercover sting operations throughout the county, have arrested four individuals responding to offers of sex for sale.
The carefully-crafted investigations involved Sheriff’s detectives posting offers of sex for money via the internet. When the postings attracted the attention of potential customers for illegal sexual contact, those customers were converted into criminal suspects pursuant to their agreement to meet putative prostitutes at local area motels at an agreed-upon cash price for services to be rendered.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff Public Information Officer Drew Sugars, “our operation used a series of internet tools.” Beginning in December, 2011, the operation originated in Goleta using the online services of www.Craigslist.com. At that time, Daniel David Laub, 35, responding to enticements posted by Sheriff’s investigators, arrived at a Goleta motel room, and was arrested by waiting deputies. Laub was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of soliciting prostitution.
With that early success, Sheriff’s detectives continues posting offers of illicit sex resulting in the February 24th arrests of three additional suspects, Christoper Lund, 57, Moises Perez, 20, and Rolando Mendoza, 20, all on charges of violation of Penal Code 647(b) which prohibits either engaging in the act of prostitution or offering or agreeing to exchange money or goods for sex. If convicted, they each face up to six months in jail and/or up to $1000 in fines.
“We’re going to continue these sting operations,” Sugars noted in what is clearly an official law enforcement effort to curb the use of online resources to subvert the law proscribing the offers of money for sex.
Photos: courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
Santa Barbara Independent: Four Men Arrested for Soliciting Prostitution
Noozhawk: Four Men Arrested on Suspicion of Soliciting Prostitution
keyt.com: Four Men Arrested in Prostitution Sting