Special Report: Undercover Sex Sting in NW Ohio - Cleveland 19 News Cleveland, OH

Where is it happening? 

Anywhere! Truck stops, hotels, motels and rest areas

The advent of the internet has drastically changed the prostitution industry. Backpage, City Vibe, Exotic Review, Facebook and Twitter have made it easy to conduct this type of business. While the internet may allow some kids, women and men to solicit themselves for money on their own, the majority of the time they're not voluntarily performing sexual acts for their financial gain; a pimp or trafficker is usually pushing sex workers into the hands of their clients. 

Toledo is an origin city – young girls and boys are often recruited here, unknowingly groomed for the prostitution industry and then taken from Toledo to larger cities. It's a family business. There seems to be a generational involvement with pimps in Northwest Ohio—families are involved in the business year after year. Pimps can be female. It doesn't necessarily have to be a guy. There are a lot of instances where the person facilitating this type of activity is a woman.  –David Dustin, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent, FBI

Wood County 

Prostitution 

2013

99 arrests

Toledo Police Dept. 

Prostitution 

2013

86 arrests

Ohio Attorney General 

2013

30 human trafficking investigations

16 arrests

7 convictions

• According to the FBI, the average lifespan of a prostitute is 7 years as a result of drug overdoses and homicides. 

• The FBI estimates 85% of commercial sex workers experience some degree of force, fraud or coercion. 

• The International Labor Organization estimates human trafficking, the selling of a person for forced labor is a $32 billion global business. 

• The US Dept. of Justice reports the profit made each year from human trafficking is $9.8 billion – the internet is helping increase profitability and frequency. 

February 13

Knights Inn, Rossford

Wood County Sheriff's Office

Ottawa County Sheriff's Office

Rossford Police

Perrysburg Township Police

Room 104 – Team of police officers fitted with surveillance, video recorders and mics

Room 106 – undercover female cop 

Jim Pheils

Toledo, Ohio

45

Solicitation 

Sexual Imposition

Gary Noplis

Palmyra, Michigan

42

Solicitation 

Timothy Hartzler

Bluffton, Ohio

65

Solicitation

 

Michael Pinter

South Lyon, Michigan

35

Solicitation

Goal: Reduce demand for commercialized sex

Fee: $300 – the program is at NO cost to taxpayers

Requirement: Must attend a one-time class and remain free from reoffending for one year in order to receive lesser penalty 

Men who attend are taught the following: 

• Health risks associated with prostitution 

• Connection between commercial sex and human trafficking

• Legal consequences

• Encouraged to explore the psycho-social reasons they paid for sex 

The Lucas County program began four years ago. 

In 2013, 18 men participated. 

The Ohio Attorney General released a report with the following local law enforcement violations.

For more information about Ohio's plan to curb prostitution and human trafficking, review House Bill 130.