July 8, 2016
FOUR 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 four men in June 2016 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 |
|
Jeffrey Clerisse, 52, Huntington Beach |
Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution, one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance, and one misdemeanor count of possession of controlled substance paraphernalia |
Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years informal probation, and must submit to AIDS testing and education
|
|
Edgar Cruz-Diaz, 30, Modesto |
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
|
|
Robert Graham, 55, Lake Forest |
Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of agreeing to engage in prostitution and one misdemeanor count of loitering with 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 must submit a DNA sample
|
|
Jorge Villanueva, 41, La Mirada |
Found guilty by a jury of one misdemeanor count of loitering with intent to engage in prostitution
|
Ten days of CalTrans in lieu of jail, three years 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 at: https://orangecountyda.org/media/sexpurchasers.asp.
The Garden Grove 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, Irvine Police Department, OCDA, OCSD, Santa Ana Police Department, and community and non-profit partners.
Deputy District Attorney Jim Bilek of the HEAT Unit prosecuted these cases.