CityXGuide Owner Sentenced to 8+ Years in Prison for Reckless Disregard of Sex Trafficking, Racketeering Conspiracy
Nov 14, 2022 · Sourced to the U.S. Department of Justice
The owner of CityXGuide.com was sentenced today to more than eight years in federal prison and ordered to forfeit more than $15 million in assets.
Defendants
- Wilhan Martono — age 48 · sentenced
Charges
Promotion of prostitution and reckless disregard of sex trafficking
Wilhan Martono· pleaded guilty
Conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises - facilitating prostitution
Wilhan Martono· pleaded guilty
Financial actions
- forfeiture: more than $15 million — Forfeiture of more than $15 million in assets ordered as part of sentencing
- forfeiture: more than $2 million — Silver bullion forfeited as part of the $15 million in assets
- forfeiture: almost $1 million — Cryptocurrency forfeited as part of the $15 million in assets
From the announcement
“The owner of CityXGuide intentionally disregarded the blatant sexual abuse occurring on his platform. He profited off of the exploitation of vulnerable women and children, just like the traffickers advertising them on his website did,”
“Human trafficking is one of the most despicable crimes we prosecute. The Justice Department and its partners will not rest until sites like this are eliminated and their creators brought to justice.”
“Thanks to the investigative efforts of our law enforcement partners on the HSI Dallas led North Texas Trafficking Task Force, the largest digital market place for sex trafficking and prostitution no longer exists,”
“This defendant’s greed and trafficking of those who were exploited through the commercial sex websites he created has cost him his freedom and the forfeiture of the criminal proceeds he obtained while committing these crimes. HSI will not relent until those who conspire in these illegal activities are brought to justice.”
“Today’s sentencing illustrates the Secret Service’s steadfast commitment to investigating financial crimes that take place in the ever-evolving cyber domain,”
“We are thankful for the tireless work of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners as we worked together to bring this case to justice.”
Investigating agencies
Case details
- Prosecuting office
- Northern District of Texas
- Judge
- David Godbey, Chief U.S. District Judge
- Assets
- Bitcoin
Primary source
Every fact above is drawn from the Department of Justice's own announcement — a public-domain government record.
Read the original DOJ release →This is a research and reference page compiled from public DOJ announcements, not legal advice. Details reflect the government's statements as of its release date and may not capture later developments such as appeals, dismissals, or overturned convictions. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.