Utah man with Chinese wife sues cops for allegedly ruining his life with ‘racist’ prostitution charges
By Carl Samson
A Utah man is reportedly suing a local police department and its officer who arrested him on now-dropped prostitution and other charges, claiming they ruined his life.
What he was accused of: John Edward Ferreri, 56, was arrested with his wife, Juying Wang, and others in connection with sex trafficking complaints involving several massage parlors in Utah County in February 2021.
Ferreri was charged with four second-degree felonies, including human trafficking, money laundering, aggravated exploitation of prostitution and pattern of unlawful activity.
Driving the lawsuit: Ferreri’s, as well as the other suspects’ charges, were all dropped nine months later. However, the publicity Ferreri received resulted in economic and non-economic losses, according to the suit he reportedly filed against the American Fork Police Department and Officer Shawn Lott.
Due to his arrest, Ferreri said he lost his job at the Utah State Prison, where he had worked for 13 years. He said he tried to return three times after his charges were dropped, but he was always rejected. He also purportedly lost his insurance, was ostracized by neighbors and saw his marriage nearly fall apart. He ended up finding a job working in a coal mine.
Alleged racism: Ferreri’s only “crime,” the suit says, was being “married to a Chinese woman” who worked at massage parlors. But Officer Lott allegedly made “stereotypical generalizations” about such parlors, Asian women and Asian culture in building his case. He also allegedly suggested that Ferreri and his wife — whom he allegedly referred to as a “Chinese girl” — may be in an illegitimate marriage.
The suit says Lott had “embellished, omitted and made up facts to paint Joe Ferreri as an international sex trafficker.”
What’s next: The lawsuit is expected to determine whether Ferreri receives restitution for the alleged damages he suffered. No court dates have been set as of Monday afternoon.
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