Eight Charged in Prostitution Sting in Gloucester Township

Three men and five women were charged as part of a prostitution sting at a hotel in the Black Horse Pike on Dec. 5, Gloucester Township Police announced.

Three of those charged were drivers (transporters) for the “dates,” which were arranged with an undercover officer who posed as a customer ordering prostitutes from a website.

Those charged with third degree promoting prostitution included:

• Steven Durham, 58, of Lindenwold;

• Francis T.D. Hamilton, 50, of Upper Darby, PA; and

• Felix S. Vazquez, 40, of Northfield.

The five women detained were charged with prostitution, but will be treated as victims.

All the women arrested immediately spoke with a licensed clinical social worker employed by the Gloucester Township Police Department.

The worker was on hand to counsel the women and direct them towards available social services. The women victims were then interviewed by specially trained detectives.

A Mandarian translator from the New Jersey State Police ROIC (Regional Operations Intelligence Center) was also used to facilitate communication with one of the female victims.

They were not identified by name, but included a 26-year-old from Gloucester City; a 28-year-old from Havertown, PA; a 34-year-old from Drexel Hill, PA: a 45-year-old from Northfield; and a 20-year-old from Philadelphia.

“We understand that in an effort to effectively fight crime we must begin to focus beyond the belief that arresting someone is the only way to fight crime,” Gloucester Township Police Chief Harry Earle said. “Community education, prevention efforts, compassion, re-defining what a victim is, and community based partnerships coupled together with arrests must be the way that we solve and prevent crime now and in the future.”

The sting took place on Dec. 5, and was conducted by the Gloucester Township Police Department with assistance of the Camden County Prosecutors Office, New Jersey State Police, Magnolia Police Department, Pine Hill Police Department and the Runnemede Police Department.

The hotel’s staff and management were fully cooperative with law enforcement.

The goal of the operation was not to target the prostitutes themselves, who are often women with drug addictions, mental health issues and homeless, Gloucester Township Police said.

Instead, the goal was to target those promoting prostitution and the networks that facilitates the sex trade.