17 Men Captured In Online Sex Trafficking Sting, Police Say

PORTLAND, OR — In its continued effort to crackdown on sex trafficking in the Portland metro area, the Portland Police Bureau's Sex Trafficking Unit captured 17 men from Oregon, California, Washington, and South Carolina who contacted undercover officers to arrange payment for sex throughout July.

Using ads posted online to known sex-trafficking websites, undercover investigators with the Sex Trafficking Unit arranged to meet the men at Portland area hotels, which reportedly assisted in the police effort, officials said. All the men apprehended in the operation were charged with commercial sexual solicitation. Sixteen men were cited and released; one was arrested.

The following men were cited and released:

• Jaime Fraga-Altamirano, 31, of Troutdale;
• James Michael Hughes, 46, of Salem;
• Benjamin Stuart Wirth, 28, of Happy Valley;
• Dung Van Nguyen, 46, of Happy Valley;
• Nicholas Ray Willis-Heine, 31, of Portland;
• Sataam Abdullah Alkhalaf, 29, of Portland;
• Brian Lee Votaw, 42, of Portland;
• Alexander James Curtis, 31, of Portland;
• In Han Cha Jr., 34, of King City;
• Bruce John Waterman Jr., 24, of Beavercreek;
• James Christian Cummings, 22, of Fairview;
• Joselle Alexander Lucas, 21, of Canoga Park, California;
• Konstantin Igumnov, 28, of Vancouver, Washington;
• Dmitri Omelco, 29, of Vancouver, Washington;
• Fernando Santos-Ballazar, 30, of Burien, Washington; and
• Phillip Todd Bonner, 41, of Anderson, South Carolina.

Roseburg man Gatlin Verne Schwinn, 24, was arrested for commercial sexual solicitation and lodged at the Multnomah County Jail on July 26. He has since been released.

According to Portland police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson, detectives prefer to cite and release during these larger stings for the sheer volume of arrests taking place; but an arrest will be made, Simpson said, based on criminal history, the suspect's interaction with officers, or when there are lingering identity questions.

Why Schwinn was arrested in this case, rather than cited and released like the others, is unknown, Simpson said.

From the Portland Police Bureau:

Sex trafficking and prostitution are not victimless crimes. Victims of sex trafficking and prostitution are forced, coerced, and manipulated into this lifestyle against their will. They are forced to suffer through physical, sexual, and mental abuse.

The Portland Police Bureau, in conjunction with other Federal and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to deterring prostitution and sex trafficking activities. The Bureau also works with community organizations like Lifeworks NW to help sex trafficking victims: https://www.bja.gov/programs/supporting-victims-of-sex-trafficking-in-Portland.html

If you know or think that someone may be involved in trafficking or is being exploited, please contact the Portland Police Bureau's Sex Trafficking Unit at 503-255-0118; the Sexual Assault Resource Center hotline 1-800-640-5311; the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1-800-843-5678; or via the Cyber Tipline: http://www.missingkids.org/CyberTipline.

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