The website, Backpage. But this is the first time that criminal charges have been brought against the company or its executives, the authorities said. Charges were filed in California Superior Court against Carl Ferrer, 55, the chief executive, and two men who founded the company in , Michael Lacey, 68, and James Larkin, Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, said Mr.
Ferrer had been arrested Thursday on a California warrant after he arrived in Houston on a flight from Amsterdam, The Associated Press reported. The three-year investigation has been a joint effort of the States of Texas and California. Ferrer will face an extradition hearing in Texas that could return him to California to face charges. Arrest warrants have been filed against Mr.
Lacey and Mr. Larkin, but officials said Thursday night that neither were in custody. Backpage describes itself as the second-largest online classified advertising service in the country, according to court records. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said there had been a more than percent increase over the last five years in reports of suspected child sex trafficking, much of it online.
Documents filed in the case included interviews with children who said they took out ads on Backpage. A year-old girl identified as E. A congressional investigation this year found that the website changed some of its adult classifieds to conceal the fact that the advertisements were for sex acts with minors.
Ferrer was subpoenaed by a Senate subcommittee last fall to answer questions about reported child sex-trafficking ads, but he did not show up. Harris, the California attorney general, said in a news release.
