PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) �?Fifteen men from 6 different states will likely be prosecuted after being arrested during an undercover sex trafficking mission.
The mission was conducted on May 5 by the Portland Police Bureau’s Sex Trafficking Unit. The mission focused on addressing online sex trafficking.
According to the bureau, investigators posted online ads on known sex trafficking websites. The men 15 men contacted undercover police officers to arrange payment for sexual acts, Sgt. Pete Simpson said in a prepared press release.
All 15 suspects went to the hotel were they handcuffed and then cited and released.
The average age of the 15 men arrested is 38.5 years old. Five of the men have addresses outside of Oregon.
“Human trafficking is a monstrous and devastating crime that steals lives and degrades our nation,�?U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in 2015.
The FBI describes human sex trafficking as the fastest-growing business of organized crime and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world.
In the United States, an estimated 293,000 American youths are at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation, the FBI reports.
The FBI reports that the average age at which girls can first become victims of prostitution is 12 to 14.
Specific details about the undercover sex trafficking mission run by PPB have not been disclosed. Those arrested include:
- Jeffery Thomas Delong Soldotha, Alaska, 51
- Ryan Hill Vancouver, Washington, 23
- Damian Neil Johnson Portland, 47
- Daniel Alvarez-Rivas Portland, 26
- Patrick Castelli Surprise, Arizona, 49
- Matthew Howard Cooper Depoe Bay, 36
- Jeff David Weiss Charlotte, North Carolina, 52
- Evan Michael Lallier Portland, 27
- Matthew Eugene Rohrbaugh Portland, 40
- David Asay Temecula, California, 40
- Frank Emilio Morales Woodburn, 40
- Wei Yang Chen Portland, 40
- William Thomas Whiteside II Happy Valley, 37
- Kenneth John Collins Troutdale, 28
- David Kenneth Koffel Cornelius, 42