5 Busted In Prostitution Sting In San Rafael: Police

SAN RAFAEL, CA – Authorities cited five men Friday after they allegedly agreed to pay for sex in a prostitution sting. An undercover officer posed as a sex worker in the Canal Area of San Rafael, a location San Rafael Police Sgt. Scott Eberle said has been a hot spot for prostitution and human trafficking-related crimes.

According to police, the five men cited were Jose Pichol Calel, 45; Yeison Solis Aquino, 37; Camilo Abel Arias Marroquin, 24; Victor Castillo Jimenez, 29; and Fabricio Siqueria, 40. All five men were from San Rafael.

The undercover prostitution sting was one of three different operations conducted Friday by officers and deputies from the San Rafael Police Department, Central Marin Police Authority and the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, teaming up to target prostitution-related crimes in San Rafael.

According to police, in another operation, authorities posted three different decoy advertisements in the “Women Seeking Men” section of the adult dating section of an escort website. San Rafael Police partnered with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Watch Program to generate automated replies to text messages sent to each decoy advertisement.

"When the 'buyers' would call or text the advertisement, they would receive a text message instantaneously back that read their phone number was now recorded with the San Rafael Police Department, and that prostitution as well as human trafficking was illegal and is only thriving because of the demand," Eberle said.

The text, Eberle said, also contained a link to more information about human trafficking.

A total of 365 unique buyers contacted the advertisements throughout the 10-hour period, Eberle said. Of those buyers, 150 contacted multiple advertisements, 59 texted multiple ads, and 91 called multiple ads.

"Contacting multiple ads is a sign of high-frequency purchasing at a rate of over 75 times a year," Eberle said.

Focusing on locating victims of human trafficking, the third operation entailed officers responding to advertisements already posted on escort websites and setting up dates to meet the women.

"Once contact was made, we investigated if she was a victim of human trafficking and offered services to them," Eberle said.

As a result of the operation, police contacted two women between 18 and 24 years old from the Stockton Area, one from Contra Costa and one from Vacaville. The women, Eberle said, denied being involved with human trafficking and declined services offered by police.

"The San Rafael Police Department is committed to helping eradicate human trafficking and will continue to proactively conduct these type of operations," Eberle said.

Photo: One of the “johns” arrested after soliciting the undercover officer. / Credit San Rafael Police Department