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Montco sting nets 10 who sought sex

MONTGOMERYVILLE Continuing its "john sting" initiative, Montgomery County has charged 10 men with soliciting prostitution, the district attorney's office said Monday.

MONTGOMERYVILLE Continuing its "john sting" initiative, Montgomery County has charged 10 men with soliciting prostitution, the district attorney's office said Monday.

County detectives and Montgomery Township police posted an online ad for sex services Friday, and received hundreds of text messages and phone calls in response, according to the statement.

Of those responses, 10 men from around the region were arrested after telling an undercover officer they would pay for sex, the D.A.'s office said.

They are Darryl Balisa, 46, of Lansdale; Donny Borisoff, 46, of Fort Washington; Dante Butler, 28, of Philadelphia; Louis Caparoni, 49, of Lansdale; Vincent J. Catanzaro, 27, of Ambler; George Davis Jr., 41 of Philadelphia; Scott Gulian, 51, of Lansdale; Udaya Neellagutta, 30, of East Norriton; Steven Pribis, 59, of Penllyn; and William Shunk, 71, of Bechtelsville.

They could face up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

The D.A.'s office announced the sting initiative in February, warning the public that anyone caught soliciting prostitution would be aggressively prosecuted and their names and photographs publicized in an effort to reduce the market for illicit sex in the county.

The efforts have focused on Upper Merion and Montgomery townships, where prostitution activity, particularly in hotels, has spiked in recent years.

A similar sting in King of Prussia last month led to six arrests.

- Jessica Parks