19 people arrested in Lake County during prostitution sting
This story was updated to clarify the charges against Dana M. Oberlin and Frank Karkazis.
Undercover officers from the Lake County Sheriff's Office have charged 19 men during a nationwide sting called the “National Day of Johns.”
Authorities said a coalition of local and federal law enforcement agencies held the operation in a continuing campaign to suppress prostitution, authorities said in a news release. It specifically targets people who purchase sex, authorities said.
The operation took place in southern and northern Lake County between Jan. 15 and Feb. 1.
Sheriff deputies posing as prostitutes placed an ad on a social media website used frequently to transact prostitution. When the “Johns” arrived and offered money to the undercover deputies, they were arrested and taken to the Lake County jail, authorities said.
“We do not desire to be the morals police, however, prostitution is illegal,” Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said. “Further, prostitution is not a victimless crime and the sex trade and sex slavery are evils that we will fight with all we have.”
Authorities said the people arrested were: Frank G. Karkazis, 52, Northbrook; Ronald A. Raffel, 71, Highland Park; Matthew A. Nelson, 52, Vernon Hills; John Coldea, 48, Lincolnwood; Dimitar I. Dimitrov, 49, Schiller Park; Jerome W. Sekulich, 55, Waukegan; Jose L. Beverra-Mucino, 31, Waukegan; Douglas W. Folger, 42, Lindenhurst; Gustavo Gallardo-Mendoza, 43, Beach Park; Goran Jovanovic, 38, Chicago; Maurillo Reyes-Zamora, 25, Zion; Guadalupe J. Sanchez, 39, Round Lake Park; Patrick Y. Bance, 38, Libertyville; Curtis B. Campbell, 54, Kenosha, Wisconsin; Isaac Franklin Foster IV, 32, North Chicago; Thomas A. Hills, 55, Waukegan; Baltazar Reyes, 50, Waukegan; Miguel Angel Rodriguez, 34, North Chicago. The charges were dropped against Karkazis on March 3.
Dana M. Oberlin, 59, Northfield, was arrested at the scene and charged with disorderly conduct.
A total of 570 “Johns” were arrested throughout the U.S. during this campaign, officials said.