American nabbed for 'sex trafficking' via Internet
Published in www.INQ7.net
March 2003
ANGELES CITY--An American man and a Filipino woman were arrested Sunday in a raid on an Internet café‚ suspected to be fronting for an international prostitution syndicate trafficking young women via the Web.
Richard Osterman and Jane Paguio were arrested on the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Ofelia Tuazon-Pinto of the regional trial court here, said Senior Supt. Jaime Restua, city police director.
Restua said the United States Embassy has been alerted on the arrest of Osterman and the search for two other Americans identified as Harold Glen Mathews and a photographer named Auric.
Policemen also seized two computer servers, 29 diskettes and work application papers of 17 women in the 1:50 a.m. raid on the DRE Internet café on Don Meliton Avenue here, a confiscation receipt showed.
A 17-year-old girl from Bacolod City was rescued during the raid, Restua said in a report. The same report identified Paguio, 24, as a recruiter.
At least 19 women working as "chat ladies" at the café were invited for questioning. They were released at about 8 a.m. Sunday.
Restua said the computer files were loaded with photographs of nude "chat ladies" in lewd poses.
He said their investigations showed that the negotiations for their commercial sexual services were done via the web. The clients were mostly male foreigners, he said.
City Prosecutor Ireneo Pangilinan recommended the continued detention of Osterman and Paguio. They are facing charges for violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code and Republic Act 7610, laws that protect women and children from abuse and exploitation.
Osterman, 50, denied involvement in a prostitution ring and said his work was "limited to website operations." He resisted detention at the Angeles City jail, citing the safety of his young daughter who was with him since the time of the raid.
Non-government groups involved in the protection of women's rights, in previous interviews by the Inquirer, said the sexual trafficking of women at the city's red light district of Fields Avenue had been done through the Internet in the last five years.By Tonette Orejas
