Backpage CEO arrested! Lives in Frisco!

[Lauren Elizabeth]

(Edit Link removed Namssa))
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Carl Ferrer, the Chief Executive Officer of notorious adult website Backpage.com, was arrested after he arrived in Houston on a flight from Amsterdam this afternoon.
“We cannot allow this evil to endure,” said Attorney General Paxton about the site, which he said facilitates a “grotesque form of modern day slavery” of both children and adults.
“Backpage.com seems to have knowingly and willingly allowed women and children to be exploited for its own financial gain,” he said.
Texas authorities executed a search warrant at the Dutch company’s headquarters in Oaklawn Thursday afternoon. The warrant for the company that took in $2.5 million a month, according to Paxton, was based on money laundering.
Ferrer, 55, lives in Frisco.
“It’s disheartening that such organized, deep-seated evil happened in our back yard,” said Paxton.
Paxton said Ferrer will face state charges related to pimping in California first.
A lengthy joint investigation by the offices of the Texas and California attorneys general uncovered evidence that adult and child sex trafficking victims were forced into prostitution through escort ads that appeared repeatedly on Backpage.com.
And the profits were staggering.
Documents show Backpage.com took in $50 million in ads between 2013 and 2015.
Paxton said investigators repeatedly warned the website about the alleged illegal activities, but that the company continued to allow the ads.
In March 2016, the United States Senate voted to hold Ferrer in contempt of congress after he failed to appear at a hearing about online sex trafficking.
“Making money off the backs of innocent human beings by allowing them to be exploited for modern-day slavery is not acceptable in Texas,” Paxton said. “I intend to use every resource my office has to make sure those who profit from the exploitation and trafficking of persons are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Every major credit card company has reportedly cut ties with the website and the state is in the process of shutting it down.
The only way customers can pay online is with Bitcoin or by mailing a check.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

[costa rica]

daaaaang lol

[iamtheman]

I guess guys better start saving numbers. lol

[Secret Baby]

woow sucks to be him lol

[FriskyRicky]

The BP women need to step up their game and get verified on eccie.net

[JLanister]

How does pimps running ho's on Backpage qualify as sex trafficking?

[AlluringStacy]

I'm sure he will hire a good attorney and brush that off.

[LustyBustyGina38FF]

just like other sites that have gone down that's what they use now
Trafficking to go after them ...
Set a very scary precedent

[Iaintliein]

The sad thing is that it probably does virtually nothing about "trafficking".

[albundy]

Originally Posted by FriskyRicky

The BP women need to step up their game and get verified on eccie.net

Until this one goes down too. There is always a shelf-life to these kinds of sites.

[KaitlynDior]

This is just an attempt to shut down backpage. I'm sure the feds are going to harrASS him until he can't take it and just shuts down the site, but I could be wrong

[darkmoonmaster]

I think backpage its going to be shut down, ive have seen sites like craiglist shut down. All the servers are at dallas.

[darkmoonmaster]

Originally Posted by Secret Baby

woow sucks to be him lol

Nope, he is not an innocent poor guy, backpage makes more than $2 million per month.

[marvelousntx]

Originally Posted by Tapper69

How does pimps running ho's on Backpage qualify as sex trafficking?

Because he knew it was going on and did nothing to stop it. Being an enabler is more than enough to get your ass arrested. It's like owning a motel and allowing prostitutes to work out of there. You can be arrested and your motel shut down for being a detriment.

[Tony Gambino]

Originally Posted by marvelousntx

Because he knew it was going on and did nothing to stop it. Being an enabler is more than enough to get your ass arrested. It's like owning a motel and allowing prostitutes to work out of there. You can be arrested and your motel shut down for being a detriment.

he's a businessman, its about making money for your company and employees....he let them list locations and phone numbers, if the police gave a shit they could do their jobs......he's NOT law enforcement....he will ultimately walk, there is a first amendment and he's not the FBI......And Frisco is a great place to live