Ten men convicted of trying to hook up with prostitutes in Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Date: July 2, 2015

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

*Conviction details of sex purchasers are featured on the OCDA website

SANTA ANA – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) convicted 10 men in May and June of 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.

Defendant/Conviction/Sentence:

• Jose Pilar Castellanos, 47, Riverside – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution with a prior conviction for one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution in 1994. Forty-five days in Orange County jail, three years of informal probation, must submit to AIDS testing and education, and provide a DNA sample.
• Alfredo Nelson Godinez, 29, Santa Ana – Pleaded guilty on April 30, 2015, to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Thirty days in Orange County jail.
• Jairo Martinez Gutierrez, 53, La Habra – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Accepted a court offer of three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education.
• Albino Mejia Lopez, 39, Santa Ana – 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 and provide a DNA sample.
• Bernardo Martinez, 40, Anaheim – 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 and provide a DNA sample.
• Jose Luis Ortiz, 48, 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 and one misdemeanor account or engaging in lewd conduct. Accepted a court offer of 10 days in Orange County jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education.
• Uriel Ortiz, 33, Santa Ana – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution. Accepted a court offer of six days in Orange County jail, three years of informal probation.
• Cedrick Marcos Pena, 32, Cypress – 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 $100 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund.
• Juan Angeles Ramirez, 53, Capistrano Beach – Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution with a prior conviction for one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution in 1996. Forty-five days in Orange County jail, three years of informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education.
• Olman Zamora, 43, Fullerton – 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.

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 here.

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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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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