17 Arrested in Undercover Prostitution Sting

Source: Santa Barbara County Sheriff

As part of an on-going effort in Santa Barbara County to reduce the number of victims being abused by human traffickers, Sheriff’s detectives assigned to the Special Investigations Bureau and Criminal Investigations Bureau conducted a two-day undercover operation in the City of Goleta this past Thursday and Friday night, September 20 and 21, 2018. The purpose of the operation was to curb criminal activity related to purchasing sex. The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Santa Barbara Police Department and the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office. During the course of the operation, a total of 17 men were arrested for solicitation of prostitution. The men range from 19 to 78 years of age and reside in different areas of the county.

For this particular sting, investigators placed an online ad on several websites known for online prostitution-related advertisements. The advertisement announced the availability of a female willing to engage in sexual acts in exchange for money. Once the ads were placed, an undercover detective negotiated a sexual act for an amount of money. After the negotiation, the undercover detective gave the person the location of the hotel meeting place. Once the person arrived at the location, the person was arrested for solicitation of prostitution. All subjects arrested were cooperative when contacted by arresting detectives.

The following 17 male subjects were arrested, and then booked and released with a notice to appear for violation of 647(b), PC, solicitation of prostitution.

• 45-year-old Jeffrey Goddard of Carpinteria

• 30-year-old Cassidy King of Carpinteria

• 24-year-old Jorge Sifuentes-Dominguez of Goleta

• 50-year-old A.Thomas Hunt Jr. of Goleta

• 41-year-old Matthew Geanta of Santa Barbara

• 48-year-old Juan Pimentel-Campos of Goleta

• 39-year-old Jorge Lorca Jr. of Santa Barbara

• 55-year-old Dr. Richard Davis of Santa Barbara

• 29-year-old Jose Nava-Carbajal of Santa Barbara

• 31-year-old Owen Wright of Los Olivos

• 34-year-old Soupitak Pal of Goleta

• 19-year-old Joshua Silverstein of Santa Barbara

• 29-year-old Dimitar Dimtrov of Santa Barbara

• 23-year-old Rodolfo Cortes-Avelino of Goleta

• 23-year-old Alain Pereira of Santa Barbara

• 27-year-old David Joseph Gomez of Santa Barbara

• 78-year-old Frank Palmer of Goleta

Davis was also found to be in possession of a loaded needle containing suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine and was booked on an additional charge of possession of a controlled substance. He posted $20,000 bail and was released.

The Sheriff’s Office will continue to conduct stings, which are intended to curb and deter human trafficking throughout Santa Barbara County. Over the years, the number of online prostitution related advertisements have grown substantially. A majority of the women advertised as prostit utes are victims of various types of abuse and/or human trafficking. One issue that drives human trafficking is the demand for women to engage in sexual exploitation. By conducting this type of operation, the intention is to deter people from searching for a prostitute, thereby reducing the demand and reducing the amount of women who fall victim to the abuse of human trafficking.