Backpage.com CEO Charged With Pimping in Calif.

Backpage.com CEO Charged With Pimping in Calif.

SACRAMENTO — Backpage.com’s CEO was arrested Thursday on pimping charges on arrival from a flight from Europe.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris said in a statement that state prosecutors allege that nearly all of Backpage’s worldwide income derived from its adult entertainment sections.

Backpage.com’s revenue generated from California accounted for about 15 percent of the company’s global income, Kamala’s office said. During a 29-month period starting in January 2013, Backpage had gross income of about $51 million in the state.

Kamala’s office said that the ads typically feature nearly nude photos and offer a menu of sex explained in coded language.  

Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer was taken into custody in Houston after arriving on a flight from Amsterdam, according to a statement from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office joined in the criminal prosecution.

Ferrer now stands charges of multiple counts of pimping and pimping minors in California.

Michael Lacey and James Larkin, who founded the Dallas company in 2004 and remain its owners, were charged along with Ferrer in a criminal complaint filed Sept. 26 in Sacramento County Superior Court.

The trio are accused of conspiracy to commit pimping — a felony.

Authorities on Thursday also raided the company’s Dallas office.

“Raking in millions of dollars from the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable victims is outrageous, despicable and illegal,” Harris said. “Backpage and its executives purposefully and unlawfully designed Backpage to be the world’s top online brothel.”

Harris’ office said they found numerous instances in which Backpage received fees from ads for escorts under the age of 18. Those minors lived in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Santa Clara counties, the complaint said.

Harris said that undercover agents responded to ads and met women and girls who described how they used the website to find Johns.

Ferrer separately was accused of taking content posted by Backpage customers and publishing it also on related websites, including BigCity.com and EvilEmpire.com.  

Adult industry attorney Lawrence Walters told XBIZ late Thursday that “while it is very early in this particular prosecution, this effort appears to be an aggressive move by law enforcement to hold the owner of an online service provider responsible for state level 'pimping' offenses despite the traditional preemption of state law in this area by federal law."

Walters said that that federal law is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which provides immunity from liability for providers and users of interactive computer services who publish information provided by others.

“Backpage has been targeted by state and federal authorities for years, however the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that Backpage cannot be not be held liable for the allegedly illegal nature its advertisers' posts,” Walters said. “It will be interesting to see how involved the defendants actually were in the alleged pimping activities, aside from merely providing an online advertising venue.

“This will certainly be an important case to watch for those involved in the online advertising sector,” Walters said.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Two Texas Bills Restricting Sex Toy Sales Fail to Pass

Two bills aimed at restricting sales of sex toys have failed to pass the Texas state legislature during its 2025 session.

NYC Adult Stores Petition for Rehearing in Zoning Law Case

A group of adult businesses on Tuesday petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to rehear a case involving a zoning law that could severely limit adult stores’ operations in New York City.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

Show More