Police in Bucks County have charged 12 women after an investigation into prostitutes who allegedly have been advertising on the Web site Craigslist.
After police received a tip in August about alleged prostitutes advertising on the site, investigators called cell phone numbers in local listings that advertised "GFEs" (girlfriend experiences) asking for payment in "ro$e$" or "125 donations."
The undercover investigators agreed to meet the women at motels, and almost all 12 were arrested within two minutes, he said.
Several of the women who were arrested had brought along their boyfriends, and five men were arrested on drug charges, police said.
Similar sting operations have led to prostitution charges against women in states including Maryland, New York, Oregon and New Hampshire.
Craigslist spokeswoman Sue MacTavish Best said the site cooperates with law enforcement and has a flagging system that allows users to bring prohibited content to the company's attention so it can be removed. She insisted the purpose of Craigslist was not to promote prostitution or anything else illegal.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
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