prostitution sting

SARASOTA COUNTY — When sheriff's detectives targeted two local escort services with a prostitution sting, they started in the place that many customers do: the Internet.

Undercover detectives used the Web to book liaisons with the women, and arrested two women on prostitution-related charges Wednesday night.

Deborah Bingham, 42, was charged with a felony count and accused of operating Daisey's Escorts, a service that markets itself as a discreet meeting place.

Later in the night, deputies charged a 34-year-old Venice woman, Melissa Thomas, with prostitution after detectives called another service, Sweet's Upscale Escorts.

About a dozen other firms advertise similar services in the area. Deputies say they track the operators wherever they advertise, including in newspapers and on the popular online classified site Craigslist.

The Web sites feature photographs of the escorts, lists of rates, and testimonials purportedly written by clients.

Bingham, 42, could not be reached on Thursday. She has been charged at least three times with prostitution.

The woman sent by Daisey's Escorts to meet with undercover detectives arranged to have sex for $300. She was not charged with a crime because she agreed to help detectives, and delivered a $100 fee back to Bingham, deputies

Thanks for posting this article, I saw it in the newspaper and I think it is important that we stick together and keep each other up to date on what is going on in the area. Be safe!!