Oceanside Police department appears to have begun a Prostitution sting operation recently utilizing an internet website posted on the “Back Page”. Recently, we have received multiple calls from men arrested for California Penal Code (PC) 647(b) for soliciting or agreeing to engage an act of prostituion or sex for money. This misdemeanor is a crime of moral turpitude and can affect immigration, professional licenses, employment as well as many oither areas of a person’s life.
Individuals responding to the website by calling a number, discuss arrangemnts, prices and agree to meet at a motel at a certain time. Once there, they are engaged in further conversation there by a female, then Police Officers emerge and arrest the individual. This kind of undercover operation is not new, and has been used by other law enforcement agencies in North County, including Carlsbad police. Escondido was using undercover officers posing as prostitutes in public areas with a similar operational goal to arrest “Johns” or the males who are potential clients of prostitutes.
Electronic recordings of conversations are often made, cell phones are confiscated which may have calls and texts related to the crime. Entrapment may be an issue, but may not if the sting operation is set up to avoid that issue. There are defenses to the crime as well as things that can be done to reduce the charges and penalties even if there are no legal defenses depending on the individuals prior record, and background. Additionally, there are proactive steps that can be taken to help insure the best possible resolution and avoid a prostitution charge on your record. Call Christoph Law Offices at 760-670-3885 for a free consultation. We have handled several hundred of these cases over more than 32 years across from Vista Courts and over 42 years of combined experience.
