A little more than a month after pleading guilty to a federal conspiracy charge, a federal judge in Arizona has ordered the forfeiture of more than $1.3 million dollars from Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer.
The funds and securities will be forfeited from several banks accounts connected to Ferrer, which federal prosecutors say were directly traceable to proceeds from his criminal activity. In addition to the $1.3 million dollars, the judge has also ordered the forfeiture of a home in suburban Dallas and more than 260 Internet domain names, including Backpage.com. Prosecutors allege the site has been used as a platform for prostitution and human trafficking. “Backpage has earned hundreds of millions of dollars from facilitating prostitution and sex trafficking, placing profits over the well-being and safety of the many thousands of women and children who were victimized by its practices,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange said in a statement after the federal government seized the website last month. The forfeitures are part of Ferrer's plea agreement with prosecutors in three states and with the federal government. Ferrer's plea limits his possible prison time to no more than five years. Ferrer's attorneys declined to comment on the judge's order. Order-Preliminary Order of Forfeiture by Mark Remillard on Scribd
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