9 Men Arrested In Montco Sex-For-Hire Stings

HORSHAM, PA — Nine men, including some in Horsham, have been arrested in a sex-for-hire sting in Montgomery County.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's office and other law enforcement agencies announced the results of two undercover operations that were conducted over the past month in Montgomery County.

District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said the operations were designed to decrease the demand for sex-for-hire in the county and spotlight what prosecutors called the dangers involved in the commercial sex trade.

"People often think that prostitution is a victimless crime," Steele said. "But that is simply not true."

The nine men were arrested in stings conducted in Horsham and Montgomery Township. They were from throughout Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties and ranged in age from 35-59 years old, Steele said.

The DA's office is not releasing the names of the men, saying the point is not to publicly shame those involved in the sex trade, but to deter future participants.

For the operations, detectives placed online ads they say advertised prostitution services. They say hundreds of men responded to the ads via text messages or phone calls, which were answered by undercover agents.

Prosecutors say each of the men arrested arranged a time and place to meet, as well as a price for sexual services. When the men showed up, they were arrested on charges of patronizing a prostitute.

Previously, similar stings have been conducted in King of Prussia and other parts of Montgomery County. The DA's office said the locations have been chosen based on calls to police and online advertisements offering sex services.