The CEO of Backpage.com, an adult sex website, was arrested in Dallas on Oct. 6 after a joint investigation by Texas and California law enforcement officials raided their headquarters there. Carl Ferrer, 55, was arrested in Houston on Thursday afternoon on a California warrant and faces felony charges of pimping a minor, pimping and conspiracy to commit pimping, the Texas and California attorneys general announced. Michael Lacey and James Larkin, Backpage shareholders, also face felony charges of conspiracy to commit pimping. “Backpage and its executives purposefully and unlawfully designed Backpage to be the world’s top online brothel. Since 2012, NCMEC has reported 2,900 instances of suspected child sex trafficking, aided by Backpage, to California authorities.

Source: Washington Post October 07, 2016 04:26 UTC