Major prostitution website seized, shut down by FBI.

A Bay Area-based website used to advertise and solicit sex services was shut down by the FBI June 25, eliminating a major outlet for local prostitutes to seek out clients online.

The site, myredbook.com, was allegedly operated by Eric Omuro of Mountain View and Annmarie Lanoce of Rocklin, both of whom were arrested. The indictment against them seeks the forfeiture of over $5 million in assets allegedly acquired through the operation.

According to an FBI press release, the site “hosted advertisements for prostitutes, complete with explicit photos, lewd physical descriptions, menus of sexual services, hourly and nightly rates, and customer reviews of the prostitutes’ services.”

In a 2011 story in the Weekly about the local sex trade, Rebecca Robinson writes:

“Perusing the Monterey Bay listings [in myredbook.com] turns up graphic ads for scores of women serving Salinas, Seaside, Marina and even supposedly sleepy Pacific Grove.

Maria’s been a myredbook.com regular for nearly two years now, and says she has two lucrative markets: San Jose and Monterey County.

‘I come visit over here every couple weeks, ’cause I like the business over here,’ Maria says, referring to the Monterey Peninsula. There are men I’d never see in Salinas. Nobody from Monterey goes over there because they’re too scared.’”

It’s unclear why the FBI finally decided to shut down the site after it operated openly for years, and other sites, like backpage.com, are still up and running.