The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office recently announced the arrests of six men “during an organized sting operation targeting human trafficking and the commercial sex trade in the King of Prussia area.” Each of the men has been charged with patronizing prostitutes under 18 Pa.C.S. § 5902(e).
Robert Cizek, of West Norriton, Gerard Deleo, of Phoenixville, Jamar Lloyd, of West Chester, Keary McNew, of Plymouth Meeting, Steven Nielson, of Gladwyne, and Amit Vyas, of Eagleville, allegedly responded to an advertisement for commercial sexual services placed on Backpage.com by Upper Merion police.
According to a release issued by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, each defendant finalized a location, time, and price for the advertised sexual services. When the men arrived at the agreed-upon location, they met with a female undercover officer posing as a prostituted person, and were subsequently arrested.
McNew, 40, was the Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Lilly Pulitzer, a well-known women’s clothing company. Lilly Pulitzer terminated McNew when it learned of the pending criminal charges.
This is the first time each defendant has been charged with patronizing prostitutes. Preliminary hearings for the six men are scheduled for early January 2017.
The CSE Institute applauds the efforts of the Upper Merion Police Department and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office for utilizing demand driven tactics to combat commercial sexual exploitation within their jurisdictions. The CSE Institute also commends Lilly Pulitzer for adopting a “zero tolerance” policy on employees engaging in commercial sexual exploitation.