Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man convicted over a decade ago of running a prostitution ring was charged Tuesday with paying a teenage girl for sex.
Santiago Steven Maese, 45, of South Jordan, is charged in 3rd District Court with two counts of human trafficking of a child, a first-degree felony; two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony; and six counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a third-degree felony.
Charging documents say Maese would pay a girl, who is under 16, "for relationships."
"(She) described being paid $100 every other time they had sex and sometimes she received $150," the charges state. "The victim reported multiple occasions of the defendant picking her up or ordering her a Lyft in order to have sex. …The victim described having sex multiple times at the defendant's workplace and his home."
The girl said Maese took her to his place of employment three to four times after hours where she was sexually assaulted, and an additional two to three times at this house, according to the charges.
Maese is listed on the Wasatch Constables website as its chief operating officer.
On another occasion, the girl was sexually assaulted at a car dealership by Maese, the charges allege.
Masse was arrested on Thursday.
In 2008, Maese was convicted of four counts of exploiting a prostitute and engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity for running a prostitution ring with Doll House escort service. Prosecutors at the time called Maese a modern-day "pimp." The Utah Court of Appeals upheld his conviction in 2010. A prison sentence of one to 15 years was suspended and he was ordered to serve 60 days in jail and three years of probation.
In 2019, Maese was charged in a couple of domestic violence-related cases. But one was later dismissed and he was acquitted in the other case, according to court records.
