Police called it a rare conviction for a top-level person tied to online prostitution advertisements.
Barker was convicted on one second-degree felony count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, two fourth-degree felony counts of promoting prostitution and three fifth-degree felony counts of possession of criminal tools.
Dayton police set up multiple sting operations to gather evidence against Barker, who posted ads on backpage.com and the now-defunct website peekaboodayton.com for adult entertainment. Multiple women who were connected with Barker’s business have been found guilty of soliciting. The operation led to an interview meeting between Barker and an undercover officer posing as a prospective employee.
According to police, Barker at one time had about 35 women working for him.
Authorities said Barker would get $80 and women would get $80 per call and that anything after that was negotiable. Police said Barker said his business at its height would get upwards of 50 calls and perhaps 100 text messages per day. Barker’s website was taken down the day a subpoena was served on his residence.
About the Author