CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — Cumberland County District Attorney Seán M. McCormack on Wednesday announced the start of a new Human Trafficking enforcement initiative aimed at arresting and prosecuting those who solicit prostitution or engage in other forms of sexual exploitation.
Over the weekend, McCormack said, members of the Cumberland County District Attorney's Criminal Investigation Division teamed with Upper Allen Township Police and members of the county Sheriff's Office to engage in an enforcement effort, codenamed Operation Impact Demand.
Six men were arrested and charged with solicitation of prostitution as a result of the initiative, McCormack said.
Those charged are:
- Bhola Adhikari, 38, Harrisburg
- Cory Blouch, 49, Dillsburg
- Sean Fitzsimmons, 39, Camp Hill
- Travis Gelbaugh, 31, Harrisburg
- Elijah Hallday, 26, Carlisle
- Gregory Leisey Jr., 45, Richland (Lebanon County)
The defendants allegedly responded to an online advertisement for a female escort, made arrangements to meet at a hotel, and offered payment for sex, McCormack said.
They were taken into custody and transported to the Cumberland County Prison for processing.
“This weekend’s operation was just the beginning," McCormack said. "Operation Impact Demand was designed to attack the human trafficking problem by focusing on the demand, that is the customer side, of the equation.
"This was the first, but certainly not the last, operation of this type we plan on conducting here in Cumberland County.”
