Criminal Conviction Under FOSTA Triggers Adult Industry Worries

Criminal Conviction Under FOSTA Triggers Adult Industry Worries

DALLAS — Wilhan Martono, a San Francisco-area man who owned the adult classified ads website CityXGuide, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by a Texas court on Monday to more than eight years in prison for violating FOSTA-SESTA, with a 60-month concurrent sentence for conspiracy to violate the Travel Act.

As XBIZ reported, Martono was arrested in June 2020 in Fremont, California by federal authorities, following his indictment in Texas earlier that 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, was 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.

Noted adult industry attorney and First Amendment expert Lawrence Walters, of the Walters Law Group, told XBIZ that the CityXGuide criminal prosecution — and the numerous civil cases filed against online platforms based on FOSTA/SESTA — highlight “the importance of the constitutional challenge pending in the DC Circuit.”

Oral arguments for the Woodhull challenge to FOSTA/SESTA, which Walters is handling, are scheduled for Jan. 11, 2023.

“If the law is not struck down,” Walters warned, “the adult industry is likely to see continued enforcement in civil and criminal proceedings, and expanding censorship of erotic expression by platforms and internet architecture providers.”

A Texas Allegation That Prompted a California Arrest

The Texas indictment against Martono was filed June 2, 2020 and included 28 federal charges, among them conspiracy, money laundering and promotion and facilitation of prostitution. Martono was extradited to Dallas, Texas by California authorities.

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

Prosecutors used a January 2019 email sent by Martono and expressing a desire to take over “from where Backpage left off” as damning evidence.

Prosecutors alleged 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 further endangers sex workers and forces them into the streets, where they are regularly victimized by law enforcement, or into the hands of criminal enterprises.

The case against Martono, Walters told XBIZ, was “the first time the government has used FOSTA for criminal prosecution,” whereas the Woodhull case, which he is handling, is “a civil challenge to the constitutionality of FOSTA.”

Copyright © 2025 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

FSC Publishes Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Event Promoting AV

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an analysis of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) event held this week that promoted age verification among other forms of speech regulation.

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Master Nico Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Master Nico has relaunched his official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Federal Judge Grants Partial Halt of Florida AV Law

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, has granted a preliminary injunction against HB 3, the state's age verification law, as a lawsuit filed by two online trade associations challenging the law makes its way through the courts.

Aylo Releases Statement on Suspending Access to Pornhub in France

Technology and media company Aylo, which operates adult sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube, has released a public statement regarding its decision to block access to its sites in France.

Pineapple Support to Host Wellness Sessions at Bucharest Summit

Pineapple Support is hosting free group and one-on-one therapy sessions at Bucharest Summit, June 3-5.

Pornhub Blocks Access in France in Response to SREN Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo has opted to block access to its sites in France rather than comply with age verification requirements under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

ASACP Highlights Study on Parental Controls

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is highlighting the results of a study on the underutilization of parental controls.

Sydney Screams Launches New Site Through Grooby's Blue.xxx

Sydney Screams has launched her new membership site, SydneyScreams.xxx, through Grooby's website management company Blue.xxx.

Mistress Mystii Is LoyalFans' 'Featured Creator' for June

LoyalFans has named Mistress Mystii as its Featured Creator for June.

Show More