US EditionBackpage Executives to Be Sentenced After Testifying Against Site Founder About the Site's Sex Ads
Former Backpage executives face sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy for facilitating prostitution through sex ads and cooperating with authorities against the founder.
- In 2023, former Backpage.com executives Carl Ferrer and Dan Hyer were sentenced for their roles in a scheme that involved promoting prostitution through the advertisement of sexual services.
- Their 2018 guilty pleas followed a seven-year federal case in Arizona, where they cooperated extensively and testified against founder Michael Lacey.
- Ferrer acknowledged that most of the site’s income was generated from escort listings and admitted to participating in efforts to modify ads by deleting content suggestive of prostitution, while Hyer admitted to being involved in a plan that provided complimentary advertisements to sex workers.
- A June 2021 U.S. Government Accountability Office report noted that law enforcement's ability to identify victims decreased after Backpage's 2018 shutdown, despite prior responsiveness from the site.
- The sentencing marked final punishments in the case, with Ferrer receiving probation and restitution, suggesting the value of cooperation in dismantling the alleged criminal enterprise.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Backpage executives face sentencing after testifying against founder about sex ads
Two former executives for the now-shuttered classified site Backpage.com are scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in Phoenix for conspiring to facilitate prostitution by selling sex ads. A prosecutor has recommended five years of probation and restitution payments for former CEO Carl Ferrer and sales director Dan Hyer, both of whom pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2018. The prosecutor said both men acknowledged their crimes and cooperated with autho…
Associated Press News
Backpage executives to be sentenced after testifying against site founder about the site's sex ads
Two former executives for the now-shuttered classified site Backpage.com are scheduled to be sentenced in Phoenix for conspiring to facilitate prostitution by selling sex ads.
A prosecutor recommended pre-sentence, five years probation and compensation.
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