17 O.C. men convicted of trying to hook up with prostitutes

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Date: April 2, 2015

SEVENTEEN MEN CONVICTED OF LOITERING WITH INTENT TO COMMIT PROSTITUTION OR AGREEING TO ENGAGE IN PROSTITUTION

SANTA ANA – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) convicted 17 men in March 2015 of loitering with the intent to commit prostitution or agreeing to engage in prostitution. The defendants in these cases approached a woman whom they believed to be a prostitute, or loitered in areas known for prostitution and human trafficking in Orange County. Each of the defendants below agreed to engage, or loitered with the intent to engage, in commercial sex with a woman and were subsequently arrested by law enforcement.

Erwin Giovanni Bautista, 25, Santa Ana – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution.  Accepted a court offer of eight days in jail, one year of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education.

Joshua Allen Campos, 19, Garden Grove – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education, provide a DNA sample, and donate $100 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund.

Juan Cruz Cazares, 35, Huntington Beach – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Accepted a court offer of four days in jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education.

Victor Alfonso Cortez, 26, Garden Grove – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education and provide a DNA sample.

Michael John Fritz, 61, Garden Grove – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of community service in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education and provide a DNA sample.

Ryan Adam Gatewood, 24, Lakewood – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education, and provide a DNA sample.

Francisco Xavier Hernandez, 19, Anaheim – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, must submit to AIDS testing and education, and provide a DNA sample.

Juan Carlo Hernandez-Fernandez, 26, Anaheim – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education, provide a DNA sample, and donate $100 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund.

Steven John Keros, 68, Huntington Beach – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Accepted a court offer of 10 days of community service in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education.

Jose Baldemar Martinez, 27, Orange – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education, and provide a DNA sample.

Ignacio De Jesus Morales, 19, Santa Ana – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Fourteen days in jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education.

Ramon Perez, 40, Whittier – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, must submit to AIDS testing and education, provide a DNA sample, and donate $200 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund.

Adrian Benitez Quiroz, 51, Garden Grove  – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education, and provide a DNA sample.

Eric Magnolia Rodriguez, 26, Corona – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, must submit to AIDS testing and education, and provide a DNA sample.

Jose Mendiola Rodriguez, 48, Anaheim – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Thirty days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education, provide a DNA sample, and donate $200 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund.

Tirzo Medina Romero, 34, Santa Ana – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Accepted a court offer of 10 days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education.

Cesar Catalan Zenon, 53, Anaheim – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Accepted a court offer of four days in jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education, and provide a DNA sample.

The OCDA posts the booking photos, when available, and conviction details of defendants on the sex purchasers section of the OCDA’s website, and can be found at: http://orangecountyda.org/media/sexpurchasers.asp.

The Garden Grove Police Department, Santa Ana Police Department, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) investigated these cases, as well as the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF). Members of the OCHTTF and the OCDA work proactively to protect women and minors from falling victim to commercial sexual exploitation. OCHTTF is a partnership between the Anaheim Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Huntington Beach Police Department, OCDA, OCSD, and community and non-profit partners.

Deputy District Attorney Kelly Manley of the HEAT Unit prosecuted these cases.

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TONY RACKAUCKAS, District Attorney

Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff
Office: 714-347-8408
Cell: 714-292-2718

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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