Advertisement

Bartering Company Official Charged in Prostitution Case

Share

The district manager of a bartering company was charged Thursday with pimping and pandering by prosecutors who said he tried to add a prostitute to his list of clients who exchange services such as plastic surgery, car repairs and plumbing.

Los Angeles police officers arrested Martin Nobler, 57, of the Burbank branch of Barter Exchange International on July 30 after he asked a female undercover detective to offer sexual favors to members of the exchange.

For the record:

12:00 a.m. Aug. 27, 1998 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday August 27, 1998 Home Edition Metro Part B Page 4 Metro Desk 2 inches; 45 words Type of Material: Correction
BXI employee--An Aug. 14 story in The Times, relying on information supplied by Los Angeles police, incorrectly described Martin Nobler’s affiliation with Barter Exchange International, or BXI. Nobler, who was charged with pimping and pandering, was the area director of the BXI office in North Hollywood, not Burbank.

Also charged with pimping and pandering was Diane Mary Salutare, 40, of Toluca Lake, who allegedly used help wanted ads in local publications--also members of the exchange--to hire prostitutes under the guise of offering massage parlor jobs. She eventually introduced these women to Nobler, police said.

Advertisement

Salutare is also suspected of operating her own prostitution operation, authorities said.

Police were tipped off by a BXI employee who was concerned about the reputation of the company, which was founded 36 years ago in Huntington Beach and is the nation’s oldest barter exchange business.

“BXI was extremely cooperative, to the point of helping us find an undercover account,” said Lt. David Muro, head of the prostitution section of the LAPD’s organized crime and vice division. A male detective, who posed as a barter exchange member, asked Nobler to provide him with a prostitute, Muro said.

“The customers were all BXI members,” Muro said.

Nobler and Salutare were free on $25,000 bail, Muro said. Arraignment was pending.

Bartering is a multibillion-dollar industry that blossoms during economic downturns, when people have little cash. Most clients are small business owners looking for alternatives to cash purchases of goods and services. In 1996, BXI said it had 45,000 members and 102 offices in the United States and abroad.

Advertisement