After a two-week long investigation, officers arrested a Lompoc man Tuesday for allegedly soliciting minors for paid sex with “high-paying” clients.
Benito Rodriguez Bravo, 34, was taken into custody after he created an advertisement on the internet in an attempt to recruit and hire females for “nude housecleaning” and “erotic massages,” according to a Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office news release.
Detectives posed as a 16-year-old girl while in communication with Bravo. He sent the teen explicit images in order to cause sexual arousal and then attempted to recruit the teen to have sex with high-paying customers, officials said.
Bravo promised the undercover detectives payment of $5,000 a week, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
He arranged a meeting with the detectives posing as a teen in Goleta where he was arrested.
Detectives also believe Bravo had no true intention to pay the girls for their services and was posing as a potential client in order to receive erotic services himself.
Bravo was booked into a Santa Barbara County jail on suspicion of felony human trafficking of a minor, contacting a minor with intent for sex, arranging a meeting with a minor, sending harmful material to a minor with attempt to seduce and attempted pandering.
He also had an outstanding warrant for violating his probation and domestic violence, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Bravo is being held without bail.
Anyone with information can contact the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office at 805-683-2724 or humantrafficking@sbsheriff.org.