Syracuse police sting sheds light on the unusual business of prostitution
Published: Sunday, June 12, 2011, 6:00 AM
By Robert A. Baker / The Post-Standard The Post-Standard
Morganne M. Atutis / The Post-StandardAn apartment in Building H at 201 Seeley Road, Syracuse was used in an undercover sting that resulted in 36 arrests. Syracuse, NY - One man was dropped off in a black Hummer driven by his father. One brought gifts. Another wanted a discount, since he was only going to require “10 minutes of your time.”
Among the women, one was pregnant. Another was recovering from neck surgery. One checked the customer for a recording device.
They all thought they were about to consummate a sex-for-money deal that began on the Internet. Instead, they met an undercover officer whose negotiations for a sex act was captured on a hidden camera in an apartment rented by the Syracuse Police Department.
In April, Syracuse police arrested 19 men and 17 women after a six-month sting. It was the first time police used an Internet ad to lure johns.
The 238 pages of police documents produced by the investigation and obtained under the Freedom of Information Law sheds some light on something that normally occurs behind close doors. The reports provide a front-row seat to the give-and-take between prostitutes and their clients, the precautions taken and not taken and the courtesies sometimes extended beyond the asking price.
The women
The oldest among the women charged in the roundup was 49 and the youngest was 19. Most listed a Syracuse address. Police found their advertisements on backpage.com and escorts.com and in the Syracuse New Times under headlines such as “Bunny’s Playhouse-23,” “Beautiful Hot and Sensual 32” and “very very sexy Russian Sandra.” Police called numbers listed in the ads from November through March.
Two of the women said they were married, one was divorced and one was widowed.
About the sting
The Syracuse police department spent $3,760 to rent an apartment from October through March to lure prostitutes and their clients. The apartment and all sting expenses were paid through money seized by federal agents from criminals. Nineteen men were charged with patronizing a prostitute, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. Seventeen women were charged with prostitution, a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in jail.
• How it worked? Police answered ads on backpage.com, escort.com and the Syracuse New Times to contact the women. Police placed an ad on backpage.com to lure the men. They were all directed to Building H, Apt. 3 at 201 Seeley Road or 1310 Park St., Building A, Apt. 1.
Negotiations on the phone were taped. After the prostitutes and johns arrived at the apartment, the negotiations were repeated for the benefit of a hidden video camera.
• Why the web? In announcing the arrests, police said they noticed street prostitution had dropped precipitously. Officers then moved their efforts to the Internet.
“Even if it’s gone off the streets, it’s still a law on the books and the associated crimes are still there,” First Deputy Chief David Barrette said.
“We are obligated to investigate crimes, even if they move to a different venue,” agreed Lt. John Corbett. “We can’t ignore crimes taking place.”
• What’s next? The district attorney’s office declined to discuss how it handles arrests of alleged prostitutes or johns, saying they are handled on a case-by-case basis.
“Those cases are pending and I’m not going to comment how they will be handled,” said Rick Trunfio, Onondaga County’s first chief assistant district attorney.
A 42-year-old pregnant woman assured the undercover officer that she was able to have intercourse. When she was arrested, police asked her how pregnant she was. The Syracuse woman, who appeared well along, didn’t know, said Lt. John Corbett.
An officer had a hard time understanding one woman who answered a phone listed in an Internet ad. He still had a hard time when he met her at the apartment. She told him she had surgery on her neck. She said a screw had come loose and was pressing against her voice box, causing problems with her voice. She wanted $140.
The other women quoted fees ranging from $100 to $250. One woman asked for $380 for two women at the same time.
The women were checked for sexually transmitted diseases as part of the state public health law. The men were not tested since it was not required by law, Corbett said.
The men
The 19 men range in age from 24 to 62. Seven resided in Syracuse. The others live in the suburbs except for three who came from Cortland, Marcy and Clifton Springs. Six said they were married, one said he was divorced, nine were single and three didn’t give an answer.
All answered an ad on backpage.com that ran the month of February. The city spent $21.60 on the ad. That included a $3 charge to keep the ad at the top of the Internet page.
The ad was a lot cheaper than the prices quoted the 19 men. Those fees ranged from $60 to $150.
Negotiations
One man negotiated a $20 discount from the original $100 quoted price. Another man talked the price down to $60, stating that he hadn’t had sex for eight months and that he would only need 10 minutes of the prostitute’s time. He called it a “quick quickie.”
After reaching an agreement, another man pulled out a pipe and baggie. He filled the bowl with pot and passed it to the officer just as her colleagues came to the door. He was charged with marijuana possession, a violation, and sale, a misdemeanor, for the act of handing the pipe to the officer.
Morganne M. Atutis / The Post-StandardPolice spent $3,760 to rent an apartment for six months to lure prostitutes and their clients. Building A at 1310 Park Street was used in the undercover sting.On top of the negotiated price, some men wanted to do something extra. One brought three pairs of panties, as well as body spray, body wash and body lotion, as a present. The 31-year-old man who stepped out of his father’s black 2005 Hummer asked if he could take the undercover officer to purchase groceries.
Precautions taken
Some women appeared leery of being arrested. One issued an Internet warning to other prostitutes after she became suspicious of the clients at the Seeley Road apartment. After that, police moved to a Park Street apartment covered by the same lease agreement.
Another woman patted down the client, searching for a hidden microphone. After negotiating a $200-an-hour encounter, another woman told an officer he would have to become a “regular customer first” before proceeding. She also asked the client if he was a cop and looked around the apartment.
Another woman asked that question. In both cases, police said no.
Another woman referred to her payment as a “donation, not a fee.” If it were a fee, she told the officer, it would be prostitution.
Precautions not taken
Three men requested sex acts without condoms. One claimed he had an allergy to latex. Two women agreed to sex acts without protection. At least six women, however, brought their own condoms and one emphatically told undercover police “a condom will be used.”