A sexual exploitation arrest and prostitution sting operation was conducted by the Seattle Police Department earlier in July 2016. If you have been cited or contacted about a sexual exploitation arrest by the Seattle Police it is imperative you contact a Seattle Criminal Defense Attorney ASAP that has experience in defending these so-called “undercover” sting operations the Seattle Police seem to be doing every year. This is a very serious offense that has very serious consequences, especially for non-citizens.
Sexual Exploitation Arrest Sting Operation
Here is a little background in this latest sting operation. The Seattle Police appear to have been working with a massage parlor owner in “luring” their suspects to the location through a series of print and online ads. Most notably the backpages.com website where this kind of stuff is advertised.
If the suspects were unfortunate to be there getting a legitimate massage or responded to the ad they were all swept up in this raid and placed under arrest under the City of Seattle’s new criminal charge called “sexual exploitation.” The sexual exploitation arrest evidence looks like nothing more than the “undercover” officer attempting to get the suspect to agree to a sex act in exchange for money. The “undercover” office, as usual, is the one putting the words in the suspect’s mouth and all it takes is one little nod to get arrested.
Evidence from Sexual Exploitation Arrest Sting Operations
Now as I have said before these undercover sexual exploitation arrest sting operations are nothing new. It seems the City of Seattle anytime they want to get a little extra money or make a big splash in the paper saying they are zealously arresting investigating these types of crimes they conduct this type of operation. I have seen these arrests before and have represented clients charged under these circumstances.
Most of the time in my experience the police reports and evidence is nothing more than a few sentences of the “undercover” officer attempting to get the suspect to agree to some sort of sex act in exchange for a fee. Usually, the “undercover” officer is the one making demands and negotiating the deals while the suspects are just kind of sitting there. In previous cases, there is no audio or video recording of the conversation. Just one person’s word against another.
Sexual Exploitation Arrest Sting Operation Previous Cases
The last case I had, about a year and a half ago I was able to get it completely dismissed for this very reason. The “undercover” officer kept asking my client to go to another location for a sex act. She kept asking my client to touch her breasts, and she would engage in a specific sex act for a $100. Not once did my client ever agree to anything to solicit the “undercover” office. Fortunately for my client, the Judge agreed and dismissed the charge outright. This truly was an example of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Remember if you have been arrested for this sexual exploitation contact the Seattle Criminal Defense Attorney, Matthew Leyba at Leyba Defense PLLC. We have represented many cases involving similar or the same facts in the past and have the necessary experience to fight these absurd charges.