by News10/KXTV

SACRAMENTO, CA - A nationwide sting on pimps found Sacramento near the top of the list for child prostitution, according to the FBI.

Federal agents conducted the sting last week and removed four children, one of them 12 years old, from the grip of adult male pimps.

The Justice Department said it targeted 16 cities, including Sacramento, as part of its “Operation Cross Country” that caps off five years of similar stings nationwide.

All four girls are from Sacramento and were between 12 and 16 years old. The 12-year-old was prostituting on the street, while the other three were being pimped online.

Federal agents said the extent of child prostitution in Sacramento is alarming. “I know that Sacramento, even though it’s considered a small city has a huge problem with prostitution,” FBI Agent Minerva Shelton said.

Shelton said the most common place to find the pimps pushing the girls into prostitution is online, pointing to post after post on the popular Craigslist, riddled with ads for girls soliciting their escort services. The ads claim the girls are adults, but Shelton said the photos don’t lie.

“They are lured by a pimp into prostitution online,” Shelton said.

The girls are convinced the pimp is their boyfriend and will look out for them if they run away from home.

Once with the pimp, Shelton said the girls are persuaded into prostituting themselves to help pay the bills until they get on their feet.

Often the pimp will then pay for their hair and nails, buy them new clothes and make the girls feel they are being taken care of.

“We had one from Montana who was lured by the pimp here who is out of Sacramento,” Shelton said. “She was brought down here for the purpose of prostitution.”

The four girls who were arrested in last week’s sting in Sacramento are now in protective custody. Two of the four pimps have been arrested.

In all, authorities arrested 345 people ? including 290 adult prostitutes ? during the operation that ended this week, according to the FBI.

Since 2003, 308 pimps and hookers have been convicted in state and federal courts of forcing youngsters into prostitution, and 433 child victims have been rescued, Mueller said.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif –OBSNews.com- April 8, 2008 – In the Sacramento Valley cities of Sacramento, Stockton, and Modesto many first time home buyers are buying houses fast not from builders or homeowners, but rather from banks and other lenders who have foreclosed on a house.  The Central Valley of California is one of the places hardest hit by foreclosures in the wake of the collapse of the US housing bubble, and consequently there are many thousands of homes for sale in the local real estate markets in the region.

For prospective home buyers looking to find a great deal on real estate in the Sacramento area the ticket can be a house that has been taken back by the lender.

“We help people buy and sell houses in our backyard and all across the nation.  Many people come to our site because they want to buy a foreclosure house or sell their house to a real estate investor,” said Patrick McGilvray, J.D., president of Sacramento-based www.TheHomeBuyingCenter.com.  “There are some important things to watch out for though when buying or selling houses in this kind of market.  It’s important to have experts on your team who know the local market and can help you avoid some pitfalls.”

The subprime mortgage crisis is nearing its end say some experts but mortgages are still hard to come by for borrowers who don’t have great credit scores.  But, for credit worthy borrowers now is a great time to buy.

SACRAMENTO, CA –OBSNews.com- April 8, 2008 - People looking to buy or sell real estate in Sacramento, California and across the nation are looking for deals and banks and other lenders are often the place to look. Bank owned homes, also known as REOs are coming on the market in record numbers and prospective homebuyers are sometimes having to bid higher on properties just to buy a house. This is reminiscent of the housing market in California’s Central Valley years ago.

Real estate investors are buying houses again in the Sacramento Valley because prices have fallen significantly from their peak in 2006. While many prospective homebuyers are having trouble qualifying for loans there is still an increase in home sales in many parts of the region.

“One of the greatest things about our company is that we’re a nationwide network of real estate investors who still say, “we buy houses” but we’re also a resource for home buyers who want great deals on foreclosure houses either from investors directly or from banks,” said Patrick McGilvray, president of Sacramento real estate solutions company, www.TheHomeBuyingCenter.com. Our investors across the nation report that in many areas they feel prices have hit bottom and they are actively buying to hold or to resell to first time homebuyers.

The housing market may, as a whole, have somewhat further to fall in terms of average house prices, but there is considerable good news for buyers who want to find discounted houses to buy for the long term. The key in this market, say real estate experts like McGilvray, is to get prequalified for a loan, preferably a government FHA loan or other type loan that has a fixed interest rate. Once that step has been taken there are plenty of deals for the savvy buyer.

SACRAMENTO, CA - April 12, 2008  - (OBSNEWS) A fast growing online real estate company specializing in buying houses and providing foreclosure houses to first time homebuyers has expanded their services to incorporate a include real estate relocation company aspect to their operations.  Famous for their ‘we buy houses’ slogan, www.TheHomeBuyingCenter.com has expanded their efforts across the United States to provide relocation services to consumers and corporations alike. 

Seeing a great need for people who want to sell or buy real estate and have all aspects of their transition coordinated by one team, TheHomeBuyingCenter.com acted to provide more services than simply buying houses.  In addition to buying houses quickly for cash, the company also has a nationwide network of certified real estate agents who are specially trained in how to sell houses fast in difficult markets and how to buy foreclosure houses for their clients from banks and other lenders who have REO properties for sale.

The company reports that if a home meets the company’s team of investors’ criteria one of the  nationwide investors will buy it from you for a no-hassle quick closing for cash.  In addition a full range of real estate relocation services if offered to help you get top dollar for your house quickly and to buy foreclosure houses at a fraction of the cost of similar homes on the resale market.