Six suspected pimps charged in Utah prostitution arrests

Six suspected pimps were charged this week in connection to advertisements on Backpage.com, five of them for allegedly exploiting teenage prostitutes in Salt Lake City.

The underage prostitutes were 15 to 17 years old; one adult also was being exploited, said Salt Lake County Attorney Sim Gill.

In one case, a 15-year-old girl said she was living with two other prostitutes, police wrote in charging documents. The women posted the girl's photograph on Backpage.com; clients paid $200 per hour to have sex with the girl, and she shared her earnings with the two women. One of the women admitted to making arrangements for the clients, who would come to a hotel and choose one of the three sex workers, including the 15-year-old.

In another case, an 18-year-old man allegedly was pimping his 17-year-old girlfriend on Backpage.com and taking half of her earnings. In two other cases, each man is accused of taking all of his victim's earnings; in one case, the 17-year-old victim reported making $1,000 per day and giving all of it to her pimp.

The five people accused of exploiting underage girls each were charged with second-degree felony aggravated exploitation of prostitution.

Another woman was charged with exploitation of prostitution on allegations that she was hiring out an adult prostitute and taking $15 per client.