An ad was posted on the Ventura, California Backpage by a 22 year old who offered a GFE for $80.00 for half an hour, and $100.00 for a full hour.  There were three photos posted with her ad  They appeared to be a girl in her 20's with a hot body.  She was wearing a bikini in all three photos, and there was nothing shown beyond her bikini.  Her facial features were also blurred.    
   
 I called the phone number listed in the ad  A girl answered the phone.  I told her I saw her ad on Backpage and would like to see her.  She asked me when I would like to meet.  We discussed available times and then settled on a late morning appointment.  She gave me the name and address of the motel where she was staying.  I was familiar with the motel.  I have seen two other providers at the same motel.  She told me to call her when I arrived at the motel and she would give me the room number.    
   
 I arrived at the motel about 45 minutes early.  I drove around the parking lot and checked out the adjoining streets to see if I could spot an LE car.  The motel consists of several two story buildings in an irregular configuration.  I made a couple of passes through the parking lot to see if I could see any activity.  I didn't notice anything unusual since most of the activity at that time of the day is maids cleaning rooms.  I parked in a strip mall next to the motel and called when it was my appointment time.  She gave me the room number which was on the second floor facing the back parking lot.  Rather than go up to her room I stayed in the car and watched.  There was an outdoor walkway around the building with a wrought iron railing.  Her unit door was blocked by a wall but I had a clear view from the side.  
   
 About 20 minutes after my appointment time I saw a car pull into the rear lot and park.  A guy walked up to the second floor and I saw him knock on the provider's door.  The door opened and he entered.  I was too far away to see who answered the door.  I looked at my watch to check the time.  About 18 minutes later another guy arrived, parked in the rear lot and entered the providers motel room.  The first guy never came out.  I timed the third guy who arrived about 23 minutes later.  The same thing happened.  He entered but never came out.    
   
 Less than five minutes after the third guy entered the motel room, the door to the adjacent room opened.  A Ventura County deputy sheriff in street clothes, wearing a gun and a badge on his belt, walked out and looked around.  A grey colored Ford Crown Victoria pulled up to the foot of the stairway.  There were two deputy sheriff's in the car.  The car had a screen between the front and back seat. Two deputies escorted four handcuffed men out of the adjoining motel room and down to the waiting car.  It was very smooth.  The car was loaded and they were gone in less than one minute.  Unless you were looking for something specific you would have never seen it happen. Less than 15 minutes later another guy arrived and entered the motel room.    
   
 This is the third sting I've encountered.  The first one was on Sepulveda Blvd. in the San Fernando Valley ten years ago.  I wrote an account of what happened and posted it on this board at that time.  The second one also occurred at a motel on Sepulveda Blvd in 2006.  I wrote a piece about that sting and also posted it on this board.  The first two were conducted by LAPD and the third was conducted by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.  All three operations were amazingly similar which leads me to believe LE has a tried and true way to conduct a sting.    
   
 The first red flag was the Backpage ad  The alleged provider did not have a history of posting on Backpage.  She also had no TER reviews.  She had a super nice figure but nothing was showing that you wouldn't see on the beach.  The price was way too low for a GFE.  When I called she didn't discuss any details over the phone.  She didn't hesitate to tell me which motel she was using.  All three stings occurred on the second floor with the  doors facing outside.  She never called when I missed my appointment.  Craigslist was used for the first two stings.    
   
 I stopped by a law firm in Ventura where I used to work.  The firm subscribes to a service that captures all the criminal filings filed in Ventura Superior Court.  The service previously delivered hard copies of all the filings to the office, but now the information is available online.  You can sort the filings several ways.  I sorted out prostitution arrests.  There were 19 arrests made at the motel on the day I was there.  The narratives in each report were basically the same.  None of the arrestees were questioned or advised of their Miranda rights.  Whatever story the arrestees had no one would hear what they had to say other than their defense attorney.  The DA and the defense attorney are only concerned with what is in the arrest report.  The defendant never gets a chance to tell his side of the story unless he takes the stand and that very rarely happens.  I would imagine all of the defendants will plead guilty or no contest,  pay a fine, be put on summary probation and maybe do some jail time if they are repeat offenders.    
   
 Be careful out there.  LE stings are very efficient and cost effective.