LOS ANGELES — The State Bar Court of California recently placed Dayle A. Vinzant, a San Diego attorney, on an interim suspension after he was convicted of running a website for the purpose of unlawfully selling, giving away and using a controlled substance.
According to November 7 decision, the court handed down the interim decision while it continues its investigations into the attorney, who could be implicated in an alleged online sex trafficking ring in which sex workers were paid with drugs and money. The state bar court's decision did not mention the sex trafficking ring.
Vinzant, Hannah Koalani and her husband and alleged ringleader, Christian Koalani, reportedly operated a website called San Diego Adult Services Provider where customers could interact with sex workers to negotiate payments, according to the Times of San Diego.
The website, which had about 900 customers and prostitutes at the time of discovery, operated on a monthly subscription. Users could pay $15 per month or $100 per year for access to the site.
Vinzant’s alleged role appears to be restricted to helping run the website, but his fellow defendants were investigated for other crimes, including the rape of a minor.
After pleading guilty to the charges of maintaining the website, Vinzant was sentenced to one year of electronic monitoring. The California State Bar has placed the attorney on an interim suspension to provide more time to investigate the matter and give Vinzant an opportunity to appeal his criminal conviction.
Vinzant has been a member of the California State Bar since 1998. He is a graduate of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego and had no prior record of discipline, though he has been deemed inactive in the past for administrative reasons.