Nine arrested at Palm Desert hotel in connection to alleged prostitution, authorities say

Shane Newell | Palm Springs Desert Sun

Nine people were arrested Thursday at a Palm Desert hotel on suspicion of misdemeanor prostitution, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

The arrests were made in the 74-800 block of Country Club Drive as part of a sex trafficking demand reduction program. The Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force worked with personnel from the sheriff's department station in Palm Desert.

The arrests were made after officers went undercover and placed decoy advertisements on sites commonly used for soliciting prostitution, the sheriff's department said. Some of the suspects were arrested upon arrival after agreeing to pay for sex.

The task force also arrested women who allegedly responded to undercover officers for negotiated acts of prostitution.

Five men and four women were arrested.

Andrea Hill, 33, of Cathedral City

Ajdin Bajramovic, 21, of Bermuda Dunes

Somara Thomas, 23, of Victorville

Luis Hernandez, 34, of Palm Desert

Abraham Trujillo, 31, of Palm Desert

Amy Gunning, 54, of Palm Springs

Jeremy Villegas, 38, of Pearblossom

Mariah Romero, 25, of Desert Hot Springs

Jacky Abichat, 45, of Culver City

All subjects were booked and released from the Banning jail, according to the sheriff's department. The women were connected to resources that help provide an escape from sex trafficking.

Shane Newell covers breaking news and the western Coachella Valley cities of Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs. He can be reached at Shane.Newell@DesertSun.com, (760) 778-4649 or on Twitter at @journoshane.