Five men have been charged with soliciting prostitutes in Burnsville after a sting operation earlier this year in which police placed sexually explicit ads online and arrested people who responded to them.

The five men charged are Wesley Robert Rasmussen, 25, of Chaska; Navaneetha Krishna Barathalwar, 37, of Shakopee; Justin Thomas Hurm, 21, of Farmington; and Quoc Thai Tran To, 27, of Bloomington. The BPD also arrested Robert Owen Slayton IV, 37, of Farmington. Slayton apparently died in June.

All are charged with hiring someone to engage in prostitution in a public place, which carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $3,000 fine, and hiring an individual at least 18 years old to engage in sexual contact, which has a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaints in the cases, Burnsville police placed phony ads in late April in the adult services section of Backpage.com. The ads, posted by an imaginary woman named Brooke, included such statements as “Hot, ready and willing. I am very open-minded and my goal is to leave you completely satisfied. My smokin’ body and charming personality will have you back for more! Afternoon specials $80 – let’s heat up the afternoon.

“I am very open-minded and willing to try new and exciting things. I have a fit and toned body that is ready to please your desires … Get some top-shelf pampering from a lady who knows how to treat a man. You will leave me with a smile on your face and begging for more!”

The ads included pictures of women wearing lingerie and posing in sexually seductive ways.

All five defendants were arrested in a Burnsville hotel on April 28 within a two-and-a-half-hour time span, and all five were arrested by police who were hiding in the hotel room after they discussed terms with an undercover officer posing as Brooke.

According to the complaint, Rasmussen asked the undercover officer who answered his phone call how much she would charge for “Greek,” a term commonly used by prostitutes to refer to anal sex. The officer agreed to $100 for a half-hour of that activity, and Rasmussen was arrested shortly afterward.

Barathalwar told the officer that he wanted “GFE,” which stands for “girlfriend experience,” a term used by prostitutes that refers to treating a customer as if the two are in an intimate relationship, according to the complaint. After his arrest, he told police that he was “very stressed” at work, and appeared “remorseful and apologetic,” the complaint says.

Hurm told “Brooke” that he was looking for oral sex, and told police after his arrest that it was his first time hiring a prostitute and that did so because he had been having problems with his girlfriend, according to the complaint.

To told the undercover officer that he wanted to “relieve some stress” and that he wanted “full service” and a “foot job,” according to the complaint. He told police after his arrest that he works 60-hour weeks and had been “stressed,” and that he had “inner conflict” about whether he should hire a prostitute, the complaint says.

To is scheduled to make first appearances on the charges Sept. 19 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings. Rasmussen, Barathalwar and Hurm have first appearances scheduled for Sept. 26 in Hastings.

Editor's Note:  This article has been updated and corrected to accurately reflect events concerning Slayton.