Two Santa Ana men among six men convicted of trying to hook up with prostitutes

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Date: October 1, 2015

SIX 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, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) convicted six men in September 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:

• Ernesto Casillas, 50, Santa Ana. Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution. Sixty days in jail, three years informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education.
• Garo Khacherian, 44, Orange. Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Thirty days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years informal probation, must submit to AIDS testing and education, must submit a DNA sample, and donate $300 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund.
• Juan Luis Mendiola Figueroa, 45, Anaheim. Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years informal probation, must submit to AIDS testing and education, and donate $1,000 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund.
• Noel Ocampo, 24, Santa Ana. Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years informal probation, must submit to AIDS testing and education, and must submit a DNA sample.
• Jose Julian Ramos, 43, Huntington Beach. Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of voluntary community service in lieu of jail, three years informal probation, must submit to AIDS testing and education, and donate $500 to the Victim Witness Emergency Fund.
• Efrain Vargas, 21, Tustin. Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution. Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years informal probation, must submit to AIDS testing and education, and must submit 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 Jim Bilek 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