Prostitution

Published on: February 27, 2018

Undercover Operation in Jacksonville Leads to Florida Man’s Arrest for Drug Possession and Pimping

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A 27-year-old Florida man was arrested Thursday on a pimping charge during an undercover Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigation.

The man is charged with living off the earnings of a prostitute, cocaine possession and transporting a person for prostitution.

Jacksonville police were apparently digging into online ads for escorts when they came across the man, according to reports.

An undercover officer posed as a customer and met with the man and an alleged prostitute, who apparently agreed to have sex with the detective for $160, according to police.

The man and woman were both arrested.

If you have been arrested and charged with a criminal offense, the most important thing you can do before anything else is hire a criminal defense attorney. You need legal help to reduce the potential damages to your life and future. Our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can help you with whatever criminal charges you are dealing with – big or small.

In your free consultation, we will give you an honest assessment of your case, including the potential defenses and outcomes, so that you are educated on the issues at hand. Our goal is to provide you with effective legal counsel that will ultimately avoid a criminal conviction whenever possible. Whether you are facing a misdemeanor or felony charge, in either state or federal court, our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can take immediate action for your defense.

Published on: April 5, 2017

Undercover Agents Raid Jacksonville Strip Club, 3 Arrested

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Three women were arrested Thursday night, two on drug charges and one on a prostitution charge, after an undercover operation at a well-known strip club on Jacksonville’s Southside.

A 22-year-old is facing a charge of soliciting for prostitution, and two other women are facing drug-related charges. One is charged with delivering or distributing cocaine and methamphetamine, and selling benzodiazepine. The other is charged with possession of synthetic drugs and drug paraphernalia.

According to arrest reports, one of the women allegedly sold drugs to undercover agents four times.

The two women arrested on drug charges are each being held on $25,000 bond.

Drug arrests are very serious. The type of penalties that you could be facing depend upon the circumstances involved in your case. While your case may seem similar to another person arrested for a drug crime, every case is unique and the courts determine punishment on a case by case basis. You could be looking at:

Probation
Drug counseling
Jail or prison time
Community Service
Fines
Forfeiture of assets

Our Florida Drug Crimes Defense Lawyers at Whittel & Melton provide representation to those who have had been charged with a drug related offense. We can help you understand what to do after you have been arrested and what needs to be done to develop a strong defense.

Published on: March 16, 2017

Jacksonville Police Make Another Massage Parlor Prostitution Bust

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

Jacksonville police have made a massage parlor prostitution arrest.

A 57-year-old woman was arrested Thursday after she allegedly offered to perform a sex act for $70 on an undercover police officer who was getting a massage, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Police said a 55-year-old woman was arrested earlier this month during a prostitution sting at a different Jacksonville massage spa.

Prostitution is defined as any sexual activity in return for payment. If you have been accused of prostitution, understand that you are innocent in the eyes of the law until proven guilty. You have the right to a criminal defense attorney and due process under the law. Our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can help you establish a viable defense when facing prostitution charges.

Published on: December 16, 2016

Polk County Undercover Prostitution Sting Yields 114 Arrests

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A recent Polk County six-day-long undercover sting resulted in 114 arrests.

The sting — dubbed “Operation Not So Silent Night” — focused on suspects allegedly advertising prostitution in online ads and human trafficking.

While a total of 114 people were arrested, warrants were filed on two others.

During the investigation, female undercover detectives posted fictitious ads online, and male undercover detectives responded to ads posted online by others.

The suspects ranged in age from 17 to 64 years old. In a news release, the sheriff’s office highlighted some of the arrests.

Undercover prostitution stings happen every day across the U.S. Police usually employ any tactics, even if they are not legal, to try and make arrests. Our Polk County Criminal Defense Lawyers at Whittel & Melton understand how unfair these stings can be. We can help you understand the charges you are facing and make sure you have the best defense possible.

Published on: July 22, 2016

Citrus County Deputy Charged with Prostitution, Solicitation

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A Citrus County sheriff’s deputy was arrested and charged with solicitation and engaging in prostitution, authorities said Wednesday.

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said the 31-year-old man was taken into custody.

Authorities said the arrest was in connection with an incident that occurred in Hernando County on July 4.

The man has been fired from his job in Citrus County, according to reports. An internal affairs investigation is being conducted.

He had been with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office since July 2015.

Prostitution is the exchange of sexual favors for a fee and is illegal in the state of Florida. Prostitution charges can result from a plethora of scenarios and carry significant consequences. The state of Florida takes an aggressive stance on prostitution and any related charges, like solicitation, are treated as serious sexual crimes.

Solicitation or prostitution is a severe criminal charge that should not be taken lightly. With that said, these charges often elicit fear, which is why you should never face these charges alone. A prostitution/solicitation offense can be detrimental to your personal life, career, reputation, and freedom.

A Citrus County Criminal Defense Lawyer at Whittel & Melton can help you with your sex crimes charge. We will fight to get the charges against you reduced so that you avoid harsh consequences that could devastate your life and career.

Published on: April 21, 2016

South Florida Officer Fired After Prostitution Bust

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A South Florida police officer has been fired after authorities allege he got caught up in an undercover prostitution sting.

According to a Boynton Beach police spokeswoman, the man was fired last week. The eight-year veteran has been on paid administrative leave since October.

Police allege the man drove up to a woman he believed to be a prostitute and offered her $20 for oral sex. The woman was actually an undercover deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Boynton Beach police terminated the man for conduct unbecoming a police officer and conformance to law.

Prostitution stings are regularly conducted by police across the country. In some cases, law enforcement agents will place false advertisements for escorts or massage therapists online or in classified ads. In other cases, detectives will pose as prostitutes on the street or other areas looking to arrest “John’s,” or those looking to solicit sex. Responding to online ads or inquiring about sex could land an otherwise innocent person behind bars and facing charges of solicitation.

Solicitation of prostitution in Florida is against the law and carries serious legal consequences. Beyond the legal consequences, a charge of solicitation can wreck personal lives and relationships as well as end careers, as this case shows.

Published on: June 3, 2015

Joint Lake & Polk County Sex Sting Yields 101 Arrests

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

An undercover cyber crime prostitution and child-sex sting conducted jointly by the Lake and Polk county sheriff’s offices netted 101 arrests Tuesday.

Of those arrested was an Orlando community activist who drove to a Clermont-area house intending to meet what he believed was a 12-year-old girl he had been chatting with online for sex, according to authorities. The man apparently drove to the house in a vehicle with a specialty “Invest in Children” license plate and was arrested after knocking on the door of the decoy house.

The two-week sting, which started on May 18, resulted in 79 people being arrested in the prostitution operation and 22 in the child-sex sting, according to officials.

The operation, dubbed “L & P” for “Lake” and “Polk,” used chat rooms and online forums to identify people seeking illicit sex. The first phase of the operation targeted people looking to have sex with minors from 10 to 14. The second phase of the operation targeted prostitution, and most suspects were arrested for attempting to engage in a sex act for cash. A few were busted for drug possession and one driver faces charges for taking a person to the house knowing prostitution was involved, according to reports.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is notorious for conducting sex sting operations around the county that are intended to target adults seeking underage individuals online to engage in sexual activities. Undercover officers usually claim that those arrested in these sting operations responded to ads that implied a minor was available for sex.

Regardless of the fact that many sex sting cases wind up getting dismissed, and many convictions are overturned due to entrapment, once arrested, the damage is already done. The media coverage sought by law enforcement in regards to these sting operations are ruthless to the point that the accused may find a TV news camera aimed at his face while being guided into the back seat of a patrol car. These accusations alone can negatively impact a person’s employment status, reputation, family and personal life.

Published on: February 11, 2015

Former Law Dean Accused of Offering to Pay $100 for Sex Acts

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A former law dean was arrested on a charge of prostitution early Sunday after he allegedly responded to an ad on Backpage.com placed by undercover agents, according to an arrest affidavit.

The warrant alleges that the man’s arrest was part of ongoing effort to “combat the demand side of commercial sex trafficking.” The man accused is the former law dean of Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law and is the Judge William Hawley Atwell Chair of Constitutional Law at the school.

According to reports, the arrest warrant alleges that the man agreed to pay an undercover officer $100 in exchange for sex acts. He was among five men arrested in the decoy sting at the Aloft Frisco hotel in the Dallas suburb. The hotel apparently cooperated in the investigation.

The prostitution charge against the man is a Class B misdemeanor. He was released on $500 bond.

SMU did not renew the man’s contract as dean when it expired in May 2013. He remains a professor at the law school.

Published on: July 8, 2014

Manatee County Criminal Defense Attorney :: Bradenton Police Officer Arrested in Prostitution Sting

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A Bradenton police officer was recently arrested for soliciting a prostitute.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has been working undercover for the past few months to catch prostitutes. Deputies targeted both prostitutes and “johns” on websites. Once a price was successfully negotiated, the suspects were arrested.

Police claim that on June 4, the Bradenton cop answered an ad. He allegedly agreed to meet a female undercover deputy at a hotel off of Cortez Road on his day off.

The officer was arrested after police claim he agreed to pay $100 for sex.

According to reports, the officer resigned shortly after the arrest.

The suspect was a patrolman who had been with the department since 2006. However, the media was not made aware of the man’s arrest until nearly a month after it happened.

A Manatee County Sheriff’s spokesman says the media was not alerted right away “Because we had an ongoing sting going on. We don’t normally say that we’re making an arrest when we’re doing an ongoing sting. You wait until the sting is over.”

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has now wrapped up this sting.

Once the man’s criminal case is complete, the Bradenton Police Department plans to launch an internal investigation.

If you are facing a charge of prostitution, then you are dealing with a very tough situation. It is important to retain legal representation during this time as you need someone who can review your case and create a defense strategy that will deliver the best possible outcome for you. That outcome could very well be reduced or dismissed charges.

Prostitution is considered a severe offense because it is labeled as a sex crime. If arrested for prostitution, do not say anything to police or prosecutors because anything you say could be used against you in court. You do not want to incriminate yourself by saying anything that could be twisted or misinterpreted by law enforcement.

Published on: May 28, 2014

Polk County Criminal Defense Lawyer :: Prostitution and Human Trafficking Investigation Nets 98 Arrests

by Whittel & Melton, LLC

A former Orlando police officer and Polk County School Board volunteer were among 98 arrested for prostitution and human trafficking during a four day undercover investigation conducted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

The four day sting operation started Thursday and finished Sunday.

Detectives focused on websites that advertise prostitution.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested 98 people, including 24 married men and women, 28 prostitutes, 52 “Johns” and 16 who brought prostitutes to the undercover location.

The undercover sting was titled “Operation: When will you learn.”

The former Orlando police officer, 44, is accused of trying to find women he could pimp out on the streets. He is charged with use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony and trying to derive proceeds from prostitution.

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the man was trying to be a pimp.

Another man, a 56-year-old Polk County School Board volunteer residing in Winter Haven, is accused of soliciting an undercover female detective to have sexual intercourse for $100. He was charged with soliciting another to commit prostitution.

Deputies also allege that the undercover operation broke up at least three human trafficking rings.

Polk County law enforcement officers often try to catch those engaging in illegal acts of prostitution by performing undercover sting operations on a regular basis. These undercover operations are conducted with the hopes of luring unsuspecting individuals into acts of prostitution. Many undercover detectives are not above using all types of tricky and underhanded methods to catch suspected pimps and even law-abiding citizens just so an arrest can be made.