PHOENIX (AP) — Two former executives for the now-shuttered classified site Backpage.com are scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in Phoenix for conspiring to
FILE -- In this Jan. 10, 2017 file photo Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer appears before the Senate Home land Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent subcommittee on Investigations looking into Backpage.
com. PHOENIX — Two former executives for the now-shuttered classified site Backpage.com are scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in Phoenix for conspiring to facilitate prostitution by selling sex ads. A prosecutor has recommended five years of probation and restitution payments for former CEO Carl Ferrer and sales director Dan Hyer, both of whom pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2018. The prosecutor said both men acknowledged their crimes and cooperated with authorities by testifying against a company founder during the 2023 trial. Backpage founder Michael Lacey was convicted of a single count of international concealment money laundering and sentenced to five years in prison and fined $3 million, though he remains free while he pursues an appeal. Chief financial officer John Brunst and executive vice president Scott Spear are each serving 10-year sentences for conspiracy and money laundering convictions. Prosecutors had argued that Backpage’s operators ignored warnings to stop running prostitution ads, some involving children. The operators were accused of giving free ads to sex workers and cultivating arrangements with others who worked in the industry to get them to post ads with the company. Backpage’s operators said they never allowed ads for sex and made an effort to try to delete such ads by assigning employees to remove them and creating automated tools. Their legal team maintained the content on the site was protected by the First Amendment. In pleading guilty, Ferrer acknowledged knowing a majority of Backpage’s revenues came from escort ads, conspiring to sanitize ads by removing photos and words that were indicative of prostitution and publishing a revised version of the notices. In sentencing memos, both the prosecutor and Ferrer’s attorneys say he helped shut down the site through his cooperation. His lawyers say Ferrer provided evidence linking defendants to the criminal enterprise and testified that Backpage’s increase in revenue stemmed mostly from prostitution. Hyer has previously participated in a scheme to give free ads to sex workers in a bid to draw them away from competitors and win over their future business. His attorney said her client is sincerely remorseful for his actions and contributed directly to the convictions of other defendants. Lacey’s first trial in 2021 ended in a mistrial when another judge concluded prosecutors had too many references to child sex trafficking in a case where no one faced such a charge. Before launching Backpage, Lacey founded the Phoenix New Times weekly newspaper with James Larkin, who was charged in the case and died by suicide in 2023 just before the second trial against Backpage’s operators was scheduled to begin. Lacey and Larkin held ownership interests in other weeklies such as The Village Voice and ultimately sold their newspapers in 2013. But they held onto Backpage, which authorities say generated $500 million in prostitution-related revenue from its inception in 2004 until 2018, when the government shut it down. A U.S. Government Accountability Office report released in June 2021 said the FBI’s ability to identify victims and sex traffickers had decreased significantly after Backpage was seized by the government, because law enforcement was familiar with the site and Backpage was generally responsive to requests for information.PHOENIX — Two former executives for the now-shuttered classified site Backpage.com are scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in Phoenix for conspiring to facilitate prostitution by selling sex ads. A prosecutor has recommended five years of probation and restitution payments for former CEO Carl Ferrer and sales director Dan Hyer, both of whom pleaded guilty RICHMOND, Va. — A federal appeals court was scheduled to hear oral arguments Tuesday about an appeal from a U.S. military contractor ordered to pay $42 million for contributing to the torture and mistreatment of three former detainees at Iraq’s notorious Abu Ghraib prison two decades ago. Reston, Virginia-based CACI appealed last year’s civil LOS ANGELES — At a Home Depot parking lot, a man patrols on a bicycle for federal immigration agents, toting a megaphone on his hip so he can blast a warning to day laborers waiting to land a landscaping or construction job. The workers from Mexico, El Salvador and elsewhere carry whistles to also WASHINGTON — Most U.S. adults think personal choices are a major driver of poverty and homelessness, according to a new poll, while fewer blame a lack of government support. However, just over half also think the government spends too little on those in need, the new poll from the University of Chicago Harris School GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — A firefighter working at the scene of a wildfire burning since July at the Grand Canyon died Monday after suffering a cardiac emergency, authorities said. The firefighter was actively involved in fire suppression repair near the North Rim Entrance Station at the time, the Dragon Bravo Fire incident BOSTON — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, the city’s first Asian and female leader, is expected to take a critical step to securing a second term when voters on Tuesday narrow the field to the top two candidates. The expectation is that Wu will face against nonprofit leader Josh Kraft, son of Patriots owner Robert Prostate cancer is a very serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. Many treatment options are available, especially in Seattle.In 7 Steps to a Successful Retirement, CPA and advisor Brian Evans lays out a clear, principle-driven roadmap to help individuals transition from working years to a comfortable retirement.Estate planning gains momentum as more Americans seek clarity and control As life grows more unpredictable, estate planning is emerging as a critical tool for individuals and families to protect their interests and ensure their wishes are honored.When it comes to transforming your kitchen into the heart of your home, J&M Remodel stands out as a trusted partner in the Seattle area.
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