Prostitution charges brought against four men caught in May police sting operation

Four men have been charged with prostitution in Hennepin County District Court after being arrested at an Eden Prairie hotel, part of a multi-agency sting operation in May that included the Eden Prairie Police Department.

The sex trafficking and prostitution operation dubbed “Hot 21 Girl Next Door” was conducted May 15 and 18 and also involved officers from Bloomington, Edina, and Plymouth.

The sting was set up using advertisements posted on websites between May 15 and 17 that included three clothed photos of an undercover police officer with a narrative beneath them.

That narrative used “phrasing and style of language used (that) would be consistent with advertisements related to offers of sexual acts for an agreed upon price,” according to charging documents.

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Complaints for each defendant included identical language used in advertisements: “Beautiful day today. Hit MOA over the weekend. Hot girl next door back in town. I want to play with you today,” the advertisement said in part. The text also referred to sexual acts. It ended with “No Cops, no Pimps. Don’t waste my time. Text only. Sara.”

On May 18, another advertisement was placed “seeking similar commercial sex acts,” the complaints said. The text was updated to refer to current weather conditions and included sexually explicit language. This advertisement was picked up by “scaper” (sic) websites (likely referring to “scraper” websites that copy large amounts of content and data from the internet, often for resale) and published on the internet, the complaint said.

That advertisement resulted in calls and texts sent to the police department, according to the complaint.

All of the arrests were made on May 18 at a hotel near Interstate 494 and Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie. Calls from all four defendants were received between 12:43 p.m. and 5:57 p.m. that day, according to the complaint.

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Prostitution charges were filed in the following cases:

• A 35-year-old Elk River man spoke to a Plymouth detective who returned the man’s call and confirmed his desire for “full service for one hour,” slang for sexual intercourse, and for payment of $180. He was arrested when he arrived at the hotel room and told an Eden Prairie detective that he came to Eden Prairie to “… get stuff from Home Depot,” according to the complaint.

• A 44-year-old Mound man discussed his plans over the phone with a Bloomington police detective. When arrested at the hotel, he told police that he was there to “meet with a lady for sexual acts,” and that he had agreed to pay $100.

• A 25-year-old Chaska man spoke with the same Bloomington detective and agreed to pay $100 for sex. When arrested, officers found $100 in his pocket and a Monster Energy Drink that he had brought for the undercover officer, the complaint said.

• A 54-year-old Shakopee man made his requests to an Edina police detective, including a detailed set of slang terms relating to different sex acts, according to the complaint. He left open the possibility of adding additional services. The defendant told police he went to Eden Prairie to meet a “massage person.” He admitted to agreeing to pay $120 for a “short massage” and $180 for an hour-long “full body massage.”

Prostitution is considered a gross misdemeanor in Minnesota and is punishable by imprisonment of up to a year, and/or a fine of up to $3,000. All of the defendants have been summoned to appear in Hennepin County District Court.

Editor’s note: Eden Prairie Local News’ policy is not to name individuals charged with crimes in Eden Prairie except in instances involving public officials, particularly significant crimes, or in other cases deemed appropriate, in which EPLN will follow the case through the court system.