On October 7 and 8, the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force and the Steubenville Police Force conducted a joint sting operation in Ohio that led to the arrest of eight men, including three from Pennsylvania, for allegedly attempting to pay for sex.
The Pennsylvania natives arrested and facing misdemeanor charges for engaging in prostitution are Kenneth Anderson, 29, of Coraopolis; John Denk, 45, of Allison Park; and Richard Matve, 65, of Coraopolis.
Three others who were arrested and face misdemeanor charges of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools include Jerrod Rhine, 45, Toronto, Ohio; Jeffrey Romey, 61, Wintersville, Ohio; andJohn Williams, 38, Wheeling, West Virginia.
Justin Sabo, 38, of St. Clairsville, Ohio, was charged with promoting prostitution (a fourth-degree felony) after allegedly arranging for a potential victim to have sex with an undercover agent. Charles Shifflett, 51, of Follansbee, West Virginia, was arrested after allegedly seeking to have sex with a minor and faces three felony charges of compelling prostitution (third-degree), attempted unlawful sexual conduct (fourth-degree), and possessing criminal tools (fifth-degree).
A previous sting operation carried out by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force and the Steubenville Police Department resulted in the arrest of 10 men seeking to buy sex. The Task Force’s strategy involves using “multi-disciplinary and multi-agency teams to investigate and prosecute crimes that cross legal, geographical, and jurisdictional boundaries.”
In a press release, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost firmly stated the state is, “committed to going after those who fuel the exploitation of human beings through trafficking.”
To reduce and prevent sex trafficking, prosecuting traffickers and seeking justice for survivors is essential. The Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force exemplifies how law enforcement employinganti-demand initiatives is effective and sends a message across county and state lines.
Economic market forces support that supply follows demand; therefore, targeting the demand for paid sex created by sex buyers is an effective means to slow and end sex trafficking. By ending the demand inthe sex trade, traffickers will be driven “out of business.” Policing, prosecuting, and abolishing the demand is the most effective model to address commercial sexual exploitation. Sex buyers consciously choose to buy sex contributing to the suffering of others, often subjecting the person in prostitution to physical violence.
The CSE Institute endorses the Equality Model, which includes the policing of the demand for paid sex as carried out by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force’s sting. The Equality Model seeks to reduce the demand for commercial sex by criminalizing sex buyers and traffickers and decriminalizing people in prostitution.
Combatting commercial sexual exploitation requires holding sex buyers accountable and identifying and supporting victims. The four pillars of the Equality Model are: (1) decriminalization of the person who is selling sex, (2) criminalization of sex buyers and facilitators, (3) educating the public about the harms of prostitution, and (4) funded, holistic exit services for victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The decriminalization of prostituted persons recognizes that those who are bought and sold for sex are exploited, not perpetrators of a crime.
The CSE Institute commends the collaborative efforts of the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force and the Steubenville Police Department for arresting these sex buyers and Attorney General Yost’s focus on dismantling the commercial sex trade.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.