In an affidavit unsealed this week, an FBI agent alleges that Paul Yoshi Moore,
46, took racy photographs of three Sacramento-based girls, one 14 and two 17,
and posted them in the Web site's "erotic services" section.
No charges have been filed in the case. FBI officials declined comment, saying
the case is under investigation.
The Sacramento case is the latest to focus legal scrutiny on Craigslist and
prostitution ads on the highly popular Internet site. Craigslist has been
linked in news accounts to prostitution stings from New York City suburbs to
Chicago to Seattle. The company did not respond to a request for comment for
this story.
In the Sacramento case, one girl, 17, told investigators that a pimp who
recruited her from a local high school introduced her to Moore for a
nearly-nude photo shoot.
Another girl, 14, said she began working as a prostitute at 12 or 13 and paid
Moore a monthly fee to maintain her Craigslist advertisement with nude photos,
the search warrant affidavit states.
Moore, polite yet flustered when reached at his south Sacramento house, said he
was aware officials were investigating him. He said he did not want to talk,
but went on to say he fears his reputation will be ruined.
"I'm going to be crucified," he said.
Moore's Sacramento attorney, Laurance S. Smith, said Moore is an established
adult entertainment photographer whose work is "too tame for Playboy."
FBI agents sought the search warrant saying in court documents that they might
find evidence of child exploitation, sex trafficking of children and
transporting or possessing images that involve a minor engaging in sexually
explicit conduct.
Assistant US Attorney Laurel White said officials are still sorting through
evidence seized in the Feb. 22 search of Moore's home and studio and are
focusing on "multiple" suspects. The affidavit lists the names of pimps as well
as adult prostitutes.
"We're in the midst of this investigation, and we're looking at this crime as
one that compels our attention," she said.
The returned search warrant lists items seized: computers, hard drives, a
camera, photos of "unknown age" females and vases of dried flowers.
Smith said the FBI's case is thin and may be based on statements of pimps who
resent Moore for eliminating their role as the middle man between prostitutes
and clients.
He did say Moore may have photographed underage girls, but refuted that the
pictures meet the legal definition of "sexually explicit."
"Everyone who does this photography has been bamboozled by someone who lies
about their age," Smith said. "It's possible that happened, but I don't know
that it did."
Craigslist is a San Francisco-based Web site that hosts classified ads and
community forums in 450 cities worldwide. Its Web sites include ads for
"services," with a sub-category titled "erotic."
The site asks users to certify they are 18 and understand the ads include adult
content before they view listings.
The affidavit describes the "erotic" ads as facilitating communication between
prostitutes and clients, complete with code words calling the prostitutes
"providers" and the clients "hobbyists."
The Sacramento site's erotic offerings include many women posting images of
their genitals and listing prices for half-hour and hour-long sessions. One ad
depicts a pregnant woman, posts a phone number and offers to show callers that
"pregnant women do it better."
The affidavit indicates that the underage girls allegedly photographed by Moore
show the 14-year-old girl nude and touching herself suggestively. The
17-year-old's ad offers various styles of sex and promises: "I will guarantee
to fulfill all your naughty fantasies."
The affidavit - unsealed by a federal judge Tuesday - traces the investigation
back to its beginning.
In July 2006, Sacramento police told the FBI that a girl missing from another
state was believed to be in Sacramento, based on a racy ad the girl's mother
found on Craigslist.
The photo was marked "Yomon's Photos 2006." Agents traced that to Moore, and
Smith acknowledged that "Yomon" is Moore.
Agents conducted a sting and found the teen depicted in the photo, 17. She told
agents that Moore examined her ID - which was not a fake - and then took her
photo and posted her ad, the affidavit says.
FBI agents went on to orchestrate a series of sting operations, including two
targeted at underage Internet prostitution. They encountered two more women -
ages 14 and 17 - who said Moore took their photos, the document says.
The 14-year-old said her pimp introduced her to Moore, who provided her with a
cell phone, photography and ad maintenance in exchange for $150 each month, the
affidavit says.
The girl told agents that she told Moore her age, and he urged her to get a
fake ID, the affidavit says.
Moore said he questions the truth of that statement.
The second 17-year-old told agents that a pimp who used to "hang out" at her
high school told her she could make money stripping but not having sex with
people. The pimp later took her to a sex store to buy provocative clothes for a
photo shoot with Moore earlier this year.
The teen offered an undercover FBI agent oral sex at a north Sacramento motel
and was detained on suspicion of prostitution Feb. 15, the affidavit states.
FBI agent John Cauthen said he could not comment on the status or location of
the teens, but said the agency always puts the safety of children first.
The Sacramento Bee
