UNITED STATES
The Hill
BY JULIA MANCHESTER
Classified advertising website Backpage.com pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges in Texas on Thursday, the state’s attorney general announced, while the company’s CEO pleaded guilty to money-laundering charges in California.
“Taking down Backpage and obtaining a criminal conviction for the company and its CEO represents a significant victory in the fight against human trafficking in Texas and around the world,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said in a statement.
“I want to thank the Attorney General of California, the U.S. Department of Justice, federal law enforcement officials, Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez, and the prosecutors and law enforcement in my office for their outstanding collaborative work on this investigation and prosecution,” he added.
Carl Ferrer, the CEO of the Dallas-based company, has reached a plea agreement and will not spend more than five years in prison, according to reports.
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