A 41-year-old Gillette man was arrested Wednesday, May 22, and now faces multiple felonies after soliciting women on dating sites to have sex with him in exchange for money.
Gilberto Zaragoza, an already convicted sex offender, was cited for similar offenses in July and August, and was already on probation.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, in August a female reported receiving a message on a dating website from a man offering her $3,500 to come to his residence and have sex with him. The female told police that she believed he had done this before using similar usernames.
Investigation revealed that the profile picture from the various dating apps matched a previous booking photo of Zaragoza, according to court documents.
Reports were also received from other women during the course of the investigation.
“Despite being charged repeatedly for similar offenses, being put on probation for those offenses and being a registered sex offender, Gilbert continues to be unable to control his impulses. Gilbert repeatedly utilizes dating apps to target women and solicit them to engage in acts of prostitution,” the affidavit states.
The detective in the case created a fake female profile on a dating website and soon received a message from a similar username soliciting sex. Based on information gathered from the fake profile and the testimony of several other women, a warrant was obtained.
Zaragoza has been charged with four counts of attempted promotion of prostitution and one count of promoting obscenity for sending the detective a sexually explicit picture of a man’s penis.
Each felony count is punishable by three years in prison, a $3,000 fine, or both.
