Naperville men among 26 nabbed in Aurora prostitution sweep
BY BILL BIRD wbird@stmedianetwork.com November 30, 2012 10:10PM
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Updated: January 3, 2013 6:33AM
Four men from Naperville and the Naperville area were among 26 people arrested last week during a two-day, anti-prostitution operation conducted by Aurora police.
Investigators from the police special operations unit conducted the sting Wednesday and Thursday, said Dan Ferrelli, the city of Aurora’s director of public information. Detectives targeted several Internet sites known for advertising sexual services, Ferrelli said Friday in a release.
Five women and a man from Amboy, Aurora, Chicago and Decatur were charged with prostitution, Ferrelli said. Nineteen men from Aurora, Bolingbrook, Genoa, Glen Ellyn, Joliet, Montgomery, Naperville, Plainfield and South Carolina were charged with solicitation of a sexual act, while a man from Chicago was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for having a handgun in his vehicle, Ferrelli said.
Among those charged with soliciting a sexual act were William X. Fang, 60, of the 1300 block of Dunrobin Circle, in the Olesen Estates neighborhood on Naperville’s far east side; Keith J. Quintavalle, 63, of the 800 block of Shandrew Drive in the Vintage Club/Ivy Ridge area of Naperville’s far west side; Charles C. Sawall, 57, of the 10S100 block of Alago Road in Naperville’s Paddocks neighborhood; and Thomas J. Sinnen, 55, of the 2300 block of West Royal Worlington Drive, in the unincorporated Whispering Lakes area of Will County near Naperville’s far southwest side.
Ferrelli said the arrests of the women and two of the men were made Wednesday, after an undercover officer responding to advertisements on the websites set up meetings with them at an Aurora address police would not disclose.
The prostitution customers, or “johns,” were arrested Thursday, after they went to a different loation in response to an advertisement police posted to one of the Internet sites. Ferrelli said each allegedly offered an undercover officer money in exchange for sex.
Police seized 25 vehicles during the operation. To get them back, each owner had to pay $500, as well as towing and storage charges.
“Despite what some believe, prostitution is not a victimless crime,” police Chief Greg Thomas said Friday. “Aside from the obvious health risks, these services advertised on websites are frequently nothing more than fronts for violent crimes, including armed robberies, batteries and assaults.”
“The message is clear,” Thomas said. “People that engage in these behaviors should stay clear of Aurora.”
