Adult Classifieds Website CityXGuide Seized by Law Enforcement, Owner Arrested

Adult Classifieds Website CityXGuide Seized by Law Enforcement, Owner Arrested

FREMONT, Calif. — Wilhan Martono, a San Francisco-area man who owned the adult classified ads website CityXGuide, was arrested Wednesday in Fremont by federal authorities, following his indictment in Texas earlier this month, in the most high-profile multi-state legal action since the shuttering of Backpage.com in 2018.

Martono's arrest and the seizure of CityXGuide by authorities, who replaced the website with a law-enforcement placard, is the first such raid since President Donald Trump signed the FOSTA/SESTA legislative package into law in April 2018. The Backstage.com raids and seizures predated Trump's signature ceremony by a few days.

According to the Associated Press and the East Bay Times, the 46-year-old Martono is being held in the Santa Rita jail without bail after his Wednesday arrest, awaiting extradition to Dallas.

The Texas indictment against Martono was filed June 2 and includes 28 federal charges, among them conspiracy, money laundering and promotion and facilitation of prostitution.

The indictment links Martono to a network of adult-oriented websites like CityXGuide, BodyRubShop and variations on the name of the shuttered Backpage.com.

Prosecutors also claim that in January 2019 Martono sent an email expressing a desire to take over “from where Backpage left off.”

Prosecutors allege that Martono first purchased CityXGuide in 2004, but stepped up his adult classifieds operation in 2018, after the government seizure of Backpage.com and the arrest of its owners Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin. Lacey and Larkin have continued fighting the government’s case against them and their company on a variety of grounds, including Section 230 protections and First Amendment rights.

Sex worker advocacy groups have denounced FOSTA/SESTA and explained that shuttering online adult classified ad websites would further endanger sex workers and force them into the streets, where they are regularly victimized by law enforcement, or into the hands of criminal enterprises.

The First Criminal Use of FOSTA

“This appears to be the first use of the criminal prohibitions on promotion and facilitation of prostitution created by FOSTA,” said adult industry attorney Lawrence Walters. “This is the most important thing: it is the first time they are using this statute. We might see some challenges to the law in defense of this case.”

Walters said the difference between the Woodhull case, which he is handling, and the CityXGuide indictment is that “the Woodhull is a civil challenge to the constitutionality of FOSTA, but this would be the first time the government has used FOSTA for criminal prosecution.”

The Backpage.com prosecution ramped up during the 2016 presidential campaign, and Kamala Harris, then California Attorney General, made that action — and her vocal support for FOSTA/SESTA, legislation drafted by religiously inspired Republicans from the Midwest — part of her claim to “bipartisanship.”

This new prosecution of Martono and CityXGuide comes at a similar point in the 2020 presidential campaign, complicated by current nationwide protests against law enforcement abuses, and a questioning by both Democrats and some Republicans of the independence of Attorney General William Barr and his leadership of the Department of Justice.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Tyler Wu Guests on Chaturbate's 'Sex Tales' Podcast

Tyler Wu is the latest guest on Chaturbate’s “Sex Tales” podcast, hosted by Melissa Stratton and Vanniall on the company’s “Camming Life” YouTube channel.

Fleshy to Launch Interactive Cam Site 'Eremote'

Male pleasure brand Fleshy has announced that it will launch an interactive, bidirectional cam site next month called Eremote.

XBIZ LA Show Introduces New 'Crib Crawl' Feature

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the 2025 edition of its flagship conference, the XBIZ Show, will debut a brand-new feature: Crib Crawl, offering attendees the chance to meet and greet representatives from leading brands and organizations in dedicated suites at the host venue.

Pre-Nominations Now Open for 2025 TEAs

The pre-nomination period for the 2025 Trans Erotica Awards (TEAs) is now open.

Byborg Invests $22.35M in PLBY Group

Luxembourg-based Byborg Enterprises SA is investing $22.35 million in Playboy parent company PLBY Group.

Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments on Texas AV Law in January

The United States Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for Free Speech Coalition's challenge to Texas’ age verification law to take place Wednesday, Jan. 15.

2025 XBIZ Exec Awards Nominees for Online Industry Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the nominees for the online industry edition of the 2025 XBIZ Exec Awards, set to be presented as part of the annual XBIZ Honors ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 15 in conjunction with the XBIZ 2025 conference.

Project 2025 Leader Claims Big Tech Companies 'Deliberately Fuel Pornography Addiction' Among Men

Heritage Foundation president and Project 2025 leader Kevin Roberts published on Wednesday the text of a speech in which he persists with his past claim that “predatory Big Tech corporations” are “deliberately fueling pornography addiction” among young men.

FSC Petitions 10th Circuit for Review of Utah AV Dismissal

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) on Wednesday petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit to review a decision handed down earlier this month by a three-judge panel of the same appeals court, which denied FSC the right to challenge Utah’s controversial age verification law by suing state officials.

MyAdultAttorney's Corey D. Silverstein to Hold Post-Election Legal Impact Webinar

Industry attorney Corey D. Silverstein will hold a “Legal Impact” webinar titled “We Have a New U.S. President: Legal and Community Implications” on Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. PST.

Show More