Prostitution Ring Broken, Police Say

A two-month investigation led to the arrest of an Orange woman for allegedly running a prostitution service out of her home, police said Wednesday.

Leona Lynn Padilla, 26, was arrested Tuesday at her home at 810 S. Wayfield St. on suspicion of pimping and pandering, said Lt. Ed Tunstall of the Orange Police Department. Her bail was set at $100,000.

The investigation revealed that over the last year Padilla’s business, called Kiana’s Escort Service, has actually been a front for a prostitution ring that employed at least 12 women, Tunstall said.

Two of Kiana’s employees were arrested during the past month on prostitution charges and told authorities that Padilla was a broker who provided them clients, Tunstall said.

The women, whose names were not released, said their income from the service was about $50,000 annually and that Padilla received about a third of that amount, Tunstall said.

“If she had 12 women making $50,000 a year and each of them gave her one-third, Padilla was making about $200,000 a year on them. That’s not too bad,” Tunstall said.

Tunstall said a search of Padilla’s home turned up phone and business records that were consistent with a prostitution ring.