Prostitution Sting: Arrests Across The Coachella Valley

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A statewide sting operation last week targeting online prostitution netted hundreds of arrests across California, including 38 Riverside County residents — many of them from the Coachella Valley.

The four-day-long "Operation Reclaim & Rebuild" was conducted Feb. 7-10 in Riverside County and involved local law enforcement agencies from across the region along with federal investigators from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The local crackdown coincided with Operation Reclaim & Rebuild stings across the state.

During the Riverside County law enforcement effort, task force members arrested 31 males and seven females for misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution. See the full list of names here.

To snare the alleged offenders, officers placed decoy advertisements on websites commonly used for prostitution. Some of the ads targeted sex buyers, while others were aimed at prostitutes. Officers responded to the ads and negotiated sex acts, pricing, and meeting places.

The johns, as well as those offering sex, were arrested once they arrived at pre-determined meeting locations, but the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said it first interviewed suspected prostitutes to ensure they were not victims of human trafficking.

Two females were rescued after investigators determined the victims "were being forced to engage in acts of prostitution against their will," the sheriff's department reported.

The annual prostitution crackdown coincides with National Human Trafficking Awareness Month "and serves as a reminder that human trafficking will not be tolerated in California," according to the department.

The operation "focuses on rescuing victims of sexual slavery and human trafficking, identifying and arresting their captors, and disrupting demand for these vulnerable victims," the department reported.