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Is Craigslist ‘erotic services’ tab just a cover for hookers?

Police monitoring sex ads on Craigslist

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer Updated 2:21 AM Thursday, April 30, 2009

In October, a Dayton police vice crimes unit detective opened the popular classified advertising Web site Craigslist.

He clicked to the “erotic services” tab and viewed the listings, searching for potential instances of prostitution. He responded to a posting titled, “looking for a man to help me finish school,” and set a meeting.

His investigation led to the arrest and conviction of Shalia L. Dancy on a charge of soliciting, according to court records.

The bust was one of two that Oct. 28 evening and another in a line of prostitution arrests made with roots in Craigslist.

Another example occurred April 24, as eight women were arrested on prostitution charges following a sting by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.

Using listings on Craigslist, detectives called and invited the women to a motel in Deerfield Twp., Sheriff Larry Sims said. Once there, they offered sex to the officers, he said.

The eight — from Fairfield, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Tennessee and Chicago — were in Mason Municipal Court on Tuesday on single charges of misdemeanor solicitation.

As Craigslist continues to make news because of its erotic services tab, many are asking why erotic services ads are on the site.

Craigslist officials have said they will not remove the ads and are moving to regulate their legality and are cooperating with law enforcement. Those same officials stress that the erotic traffic is a tiny fraction of what the site handles daily.

“Misuse of Craigslist to facilitate criminal activity is unacceptable,” Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist CEO, said in an e-mail recently, “and we are working continually to prevent it.”

Craigslist created the erotic services tab because users were concerned that ads for such services “mixed into the regular personals and services categories,” according to company literature. Officials note that such ads also appear in newspapers and phone books.

Unlike most postings on the site — many of which search for or offer housing, goods, jobs, companionship and more — there is a charge and required telephone confirmation to post ads under the erotic services category, according to the company.

“Phone verification resulted in an 80 (percent) reduction in ad volume,” according to the company.

Some of that reduction could be linked to the amateur status of many who post ads, who are more easily dissuaded by fees and having to confirm information, said Dayton police Lt. Brian Johns, who spent eight years in the department’s vice crimes unit.

Unlike professional escort services or those with personal Web sites offering similar services, those who post on Craigslist often offer the services in their spare time. It’s cheaper than using more professional outlets, Johns said.

And that can lead to arrests.

On March 30, Montgomery County Organized Crime Unit officers arrested Michelle L. Zengel, 44, and Jessica L. McCabe, 25, following an investigation that led officers to the women’s apartment building. Zengel had placed an erotic services ad on Craigslist, officials said.

She is facing charges of soliciting, promoting prostitution, compelling prostitution, possession of heroin and possession of criminal tools. McCabe faces a charge of soliciting.

What Police See  On Craigslist

A sampling of Dayton police arrests since September stemming from Craigslist’s erotic services section:

Sept. 29, 2008: Charles L. Vigus, 20, was arrested after detectives responded to his ad, “Why not? M for M 20 East Dayton, Ohio.” Vigus told a detective he couldn’t discuss details by phone because his mother was a lawyer and he knew the laws.

Oct. 8, 2008: Catherine L. Gessman, 39, and Leah M. Ferguson, 36, were arrested at a Dayton hotel thinking they were meeting two men for sex. Ferguson told detectives she owned her escort service, and Gessman said she was a prostitute to finance her own service. When detectives asked what it would take for Gessman to stop prostituting, she said, “This.”

Feb. 3, 2009: Elaine M. Lorey, 21, was arrested after meeting a detective at a hotel using the name Brittany Colorado. Lorey told detectives she was working to pay down $15,000 in debt because of “spending, school and my boobs.”

Source: Dayton police incident reports

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