A Mountain View man was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison today for operating an online market for sex workers, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Eric “Red” Omuro, 53, pleaded guilty last year to using a facility of interstate commerce to facilitate prostitution for operating the websites myRedBook.com and sfRedBook.com. In addition to the prison sentence, Omuro was ordered to surrender both sites’ domain names to the federal government and $1.28 million in cash and assets.
In pleading guilty, Omuro admitted to operating the websites between April 2010 and June 25 of last year. Posters on the websites advertised services such as massage, stripping, domination and prostitution to potential clients throughout the West Coast, including in Canada, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors had alleged that the websites had generated as much as $5.4 million in revenue for Omuro, which he moved into several bank accounts.
Omuro was arrested along with a co-defendant in the case, Annmarie Lanoce, 40, of Rocklin, on June 25 as federal investigators seized both websites. Lanoce reached a plea deal with prosecutors last November and was scheduled to be sentenced today, but her sentencing was continued to a later date, according to prosecutors.
Scott Morris, Bay City News
