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8 Men Busted for Soliciting Sex in 'Old Times Square,' Queens DA Says

By Katie Honan | March 28, 2017 8:43am
 The eight men solicited sex in exchange for money, getting caught by undercover officers, police said.
The eight men solicited sex in exchange for money, getting caught by undercover officers, police said.
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

JACKSON HEIGHTS — Eight men were arrested in a prostitution sting by the NYPD this weekend, offering money in exchange for sex to an undercover officer in an area lawmakers have likened to "old Times Square," police and prosecutors said.

The sting was conducted on the corner of 80th Street and Roosevelt Avenue on Friday night, and police caught the suspects in the span of a few hours, according to prosecutors.

Four of the suspects — Guy Bandenay, 44; Carlos Quituizaca, 28; Alvaro Sanchez, 39; and Cruz Mora, 25 — were arrested between 11:40 p.m. on Friday and 12:50 a.m. Saturday morning.

They were charged with patronizing a prostitute in the third degree.

Four other suspects pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, which sealed their cases, according to a spokeswoman from the DA's office.

Roosevelt Avenue has been described for years by elected officials as "old Times Square" due to the prevalence of drugs and prostitution on the street.

The avenue is an epicenter of sex trafficking for immigrant women, centered mostly in Jackson Heights, officials said.