Media

Internet “Front Man” for Prostitutes Arrested in Sting

Release Date: September 23, 2008

Detectives with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Street Crimes Bureau have arrested a man for posting ads on the internet to generate business for area prostitutes.

Detectives received a tip that Henry Gardner, 58, was posting the ads on “Craigslist.” Officers say prostitutes would pay him $50 a day to post their ads.

Gardner was arrested shortly before 5 o’clock yesterday evening at his room at a southeast Memphis motel. Deputies say he lived in the room and used a laptop computer to generate the advertisements. The prostitutes, however, did not conduct their business at that motel but at other places in the community. Gardner has been previously arrested for promoting prostitution in Tipton County.

During the raid by Street Crimes detectives, Janet Lee, 46, was also arrested for possessing drug paraphernalia, a crack pipe. She and another woman were staying in Gardner’s room. The other woman was not charged.

Henry Gardner	Jessica Glass	Janet Lee

Also while at the motel, Street Crimes detectives arrested Jessica Glass, 24. Glass was standing in the parking lot and was wanted on a cocaine possession charge.

This past June, Sheriff’s Office Street Crimes detectives arrested two other people in a “Craigslist” investigation. Advertisements urged customers to go to an East Memphis home or to area motels to meet with prostitutes.
Pictures of Henry Gardner, Janet Lee and Jessica Glass are being sent with this news release in separate email files..