Five from the Merricks nabbed in prostitution sting

A month-long undercover operation conducted by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and the Police Department led to the arrest 104 suspected johns accused of using Backpage.com to arrange meetings with undercover police officers posing as prostitutes. Arrestees included four Merrick men and one North Merrick man.

Visual and audio footage of each meeting was captured by hidden cameras in the hotel rooms used in the sting. Arrestees included doctors, lawyers, bankers and teachers.

The defendants all pleaded not guilty to patronizing a prostitute in the third degree. Each defendant faces a one-year jail term if convicted.

The arrests, which took place between April 18 and May 24, mark an expansion of how county law-enforcement agencies target prostitution. In the last decade, police have arrested fewer than 40 johns.

“Sex workers are often vulnerable victims of traffickers and pimps, yet they too often remain the prime targets in prostitution investigations, while the johns who fuel the exploitation are treated as mere witnesses,” said Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice. “My office and the police department are turning the tables on the illogical and immoral nature of that equation.”

The NCPD placed online ads on Backpage.com advertising escort services provided by women and men. Each ad provided a phone number, and patrons called to arrange a rendezvous with an escort at a hotel or motel, where undercover officers had wired rooms with cameras. When the johns arrived, they met officers posing as prostitutes, and once money was offered for sex, they were arrested and charged.

The arrests were announced by Rice and Police Commissioner Thomas Dale at a news conference on Monday. “We know that the commission of this specific crime is dramatically affected by the perceived risk of getting caught,” said Rice. “We are giving fair warning to johns that the risk is growing rapidly.”