The CEO of the company backpage.com has been arrested as he flew into Texas on a felony warrant. Surprisingly the warrant is out of the state of California. California is known to be the leader in sex offense prosecutions but this one seems like they could be stretching the law a little bit. Backpage is a company where items can be sold much like the more well-known craigslist. Years ago one could go on craigslist and they could obtain prostitution services from an ad they saw on the website. Eventually craigslist stopped this because they didn’t want the negativity associated with their site. Around the same time Backpage was created. Backpage always had the sexual ads on their site and the California government alleges that there are young children on the site and that the site is creating situations where there is sex trafficking. They allege that the CEO has known this for years and therefore has knowledge and was profiting off of the prostitution that was occurring. However, when looking at the actual elements of a pimping charge, this may be very hard for the prosecution to prove.
Potential Penalties for the Backpage CEO
Pimping and Pandering cases are very serious cases, especially in the state of California. They require mandatory prison time if you plead guilty to a pimping or a pandering charge. They also require lifetime registration as a sex offender. These charges can stem from just setting up a meeting for a friend one time and that is why it is so serious to have a lawyer watching out for you.
Ozols Law Firm Can Help
Recently Ozols Law Firm handled a case where another lawyer repeatedly told the client over and over again he would be going to prison. The client fired that lawyer and asked Ozols Law Firm for a second opinion. We were able to talk to the client, talk to the prosecutor and have a chambers conference with the judge. After the long talk about the case, the prosecutor and judge agreed to not have our client convicted of an offense that would require mandatory prison, and to not have him convicted of an offense that would require lifetime registration as a sex offender. Our client took the deal and did not do one day in jail,
If you are charged with pimping or pandering feel free to give Ozols Law Firm a call to further discuss your case.
Ozols Law Firm
8880 Rio San Diego Dr. #22
San Diego, CA
92108
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