Jurors at the criminal trial of a founder of the classified site Backpage.com heard opposite views in closing arguments of whether the founder knew there were ads for prostitution on the site.
Prosecutor Kevin Rapp told jurors on Thursday and Friday that Michael Lacey, who along with four former Backpage employees are accused of taking part in a scheme to knowingly sell sex ads, was aware of the content of ads that had text and images indicative of prostitution. Most of the site’s revenues came from adult ads, Rapp said.
