Man suspected of using Internet sex ring profits for child support

EVERETT — A 26-year-old Everett man is believed to be operating an Internet-based prostitution ring and using part of the profit to make child support payments for his eight children.

The man owes more than $70,000 to seven different women for his kids, all of whom are under the age of 5, according to Snohomish County Superior Court records.

He is wanted for failing to make complete child support payments dating back to 2001, and police believe the payments he does make come from selling women for sex.

Investigators believe the man controlled at least two women through intimidation and violence, according to a search warrant. He rented motel rooms for them to work out of and took money they earned as prostitutes who advertised on Craigs­list.org, the documents said.

Everett police learned the man had several women working for him and could have earned up to $300,000 during the past two years.

One woman told them the man stashed his money in boxes at home, afraid that if he used a bank the state would seize his earnings to pay off his back child support, the documents said.

The man was arrested last month for investigation of first-degree promoting prostitution. In court documents, the man describes himself as a “private caregiver” who sometimes has trouble collecting from his clients. He bailed out of jail just a few hours after he was booked.

The man’s arrest is part of ongoing effort by Everett police to combat prostitution, Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said.

“We’re attacking it from all angles — from the Johns to the prostitutes to the pimps,” he said.

Business owners in south Everett complained earlier this year about an increase in activity on the streets. Undercover police officers set up several sting operations to arrest people selling and buying sex. They’ve also used Craigslist to nab customers and prostitutes.

The man came to the detectives’ attention in March after a woman reported seeing her daughter’s picture on Craigslist and an advertisement that indicated that she was selling sex.

The mother said her daughter was being “pimped out” and that the man assaulted her daughter and refused to let her visit with her family, according to the search warrant.

Detectives found out the man was on probation for a bank fraud in the 1990s. They also learned he didn’t have any employment history but often would arrive at the probation office in a lavish vehicle driven by different women. He always seemed to have money on him, according to his probation officer.

In July police heard from another concerned mother who told them her daughter was being held against her will in a south Everett apartment. Detectives found the woman, who told them the Everett man bought her for $250 and she worked for him as a prostitute at a Lynn­wood motel. She told them she gave the man all the money she made, the documents said.

Both women told police they were afraid of the man, who carried a pistol and beat and assaulted them. He bought them lingerie and gave them cell phones to call him when clients arrived and after they were done, they said.

“It’s not unusual for an individual who might be a pimp to control women by restricting access to phones, transportation or money,” Goetz said. “The women become dependent on this individual for all of their needs.”

Everett police last month searched two apartments and seized computers, drug paraphernalia and about $2,300 in cash. They continue to investigate.