Results matching “welty” from Inland Empire Courts

A local strip-club manager accused of pursuing sex with a 9-year-old girl has reached a plea bargain with authorities in Colorado that will spare him additional jail time.

Ward Ryan Welty, 36, surrendered to authorities last week in rural Fremont County, Colorado, where an extensive online police sting that resulted in his arrest originated. His local extradition case was dropped Friday.

Welty, of Rancho Cucamonga, agreed to travel to Colorado after his attorney, Roger Diamond, negotiated a plea bargain that includes only probation, Diamond said.

If convicted by a jury in Colorado of the five felonies charges against him, Welty could have faced a prison sentence of 10 years to life, Diamond said.

Welty's father is the owner of Manta Management, which operates Tropical Lei in Upland, the Flesh Club in San Bernardino, and Hawaii Theatre in the City of Industry.

Before his arrest, Welty told news reporters he was the manager or owner of the clubs, but Diamond has said recently that Welty has no current role in the family business.

Welty was arrested in June 2008 after traveling to Colorado to allegedly meet a woman he believed was willing to involve her 9-year-old daughter in sex.

The woman who Welty allegedly traveled to meet was an undercover police detective, and Welty was taken into custody when he arrived at a predetermined meeting place.

After his arrest in Colorado, local authorities searched Welty's apartment and found steroids they allege he was selling, and child-pornography images on his computers, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing.

Welty eventually pleaded guilty to three charges at West Valley Superior Court -- relating to sex solicitation, the steroids, and the pornography images -- and was sentenced to 270 days in jail. He has completed his jail time, Diamond said.

But while Welty was serving his jail time locally, he missed court appearances in his active Colorado case and was considered a fugitive.

He initially fought extradition efforts from authorities in Colorado -- citing his local conviction and Colorado's double-jeopardy laws -- but agreed to appear in Colorado after negotiating the plea bargain that spares him additional jail time, Diamond said.

Welty surrendered Oct. 21 in Cañon City, Colorado -- located about 100 miles south of Denver -- and was jailed pending his sentencing hearing on Dec. 16, Diamond said.

"He should be released and put on probation, and then he'll have his probation transferred to California," Diamond said.

Diamond said that Welty's probation in California does not prohibit him for working at the family's strip clubs. He said he didn't know what Welty's future plans are.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A former strip-club manager's legal woes continued last month when he was jailed for violating his probation.

Ward Ryan Welty, 35, pleaded guilty in February to soliciting a minor for sex, possessing a controlled substance for sale, and possessing child pornography.

He was found in violation of his probation on Aug. 28 following a hearing at West Valley Superior Court. Authorities found a knife when they searched Welty's home, said Deputy District Attorney Jason Anderson. His terms of probation prohibit him from possessing a knife.

Welty, who had been serving a 270-day jail sentence through house arrest, was ordered by Judge Arthur Harrison at the conclusion of the hearing to serve his sentence in jail as "straight time."

Authorities in Colorado are attempting to extradite Welty on multiple sex charges there. An undercover police sting that resulted in Welty's arrest originated in Colorado.

Welty's father owns Manta Management, which operates Tropical Lei, the Flesh Club in San Bernardino and the Hawaii Theatre in the City of Industry.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A former strip club manager accused of soliciting sex with a child in an online police sting is reportedly negotiating a plea bargain that would spare him a life prison sentence in Colorado, where the Internet sting originated.

Ward Ryan Welty, whose family owns Tropical Lei in Upland and two other strip clubs, potentially faces a prison sentence of two years to life if convicted of criminal charges filed in rural Fremont County, Colo., located about 100 miles south of Denver.

The plea bargain that Welty's discussing with prosecutors in Colorado would spare him a life sentence, said Deputy District Attorney Jason Anderson, who is prosecuting Welty's extradition case in San Bernardino County.

The Colorado prosecutor, Kathy Eberling, and Welty's attorney, Roger Jon Diamond, both declined to discuss the case today.

Welty, of Rancho Cucamonga, was arrested in Colorado in June 2008 after he traveled there to allegedly meet a woman he believed was willing to involve her 9-year-old daughter in sex.

The woman Welty, 36, met online was an undercover police detective who posed as a single mother in a Yahoo.com chat room.

After Welty's arrest in Colorado, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies searched his Rancho Cucamonga apartment and other locations, where they found child pornography images on his computers and steroids they allege Welty was selling.

Welty pleaded guilty locally in February to three felonies -- soliciting a minor for sex, possessing a controlled substance for sale, and possession of child pornography -- and was sentenced to 270 days in jail.

After Welty's release from West Valley Detention Center in June, authorities in Colorado initiated an extradition effort in connection with Welty's case there, where he faces five felonies.

Diamond resisted the effort, arguing that the Colorado prosecution violates the state's double jeopardy laws because Welty has already been convicted of solicitation in California.

If Welty, 36, reaches a plea bargain with prosecutors in Colorado and voluntarily surrenders to authorities there, his local extradition case would be dropped, Anderson said.

Welty appeared in West Valley Superior Court this morning for a hearing in his extradition case, Anderson said. The hearing was continued to Sept. 25.

"Everything will probably be taken care of," Anderson said. "We should know more by then."
Welty's legal issues could be resolved by mid-October, Anderson said.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A former strip-club manager convicted of soliciting sex with a 9-year-old girl during an undercover police sting was released from jail this week after serving the first 100 days of his 270-day jail sentence.

But Ward Ryan Welty's legal troubles are far from over.

The former manager of Tropical Lei in Upland now faces an extradition effort from authorities in Fremont County, Colorado, where the online police sting against Welty originated.

Welty, 36, has been charged with five felonies in the rural county 100 miles south of Denver, and potentially faces a life prison sentence if convicted.

His defense attorney, Roger Diamond, argues that Welty, of Rancho Cucamonga, shouldn't be extradited to Colorado to face charges there because he has already been convicted locally for solicitation.

The prosecution in Colorado violates that state's double-jeopardy laws, Diamond said.

But according to San Bernardino County prosecutors, the local judge who rules on Welty's extradition case -- a hearing now set for Aug. 12 -- is unlikely to consider double-jeopardy issues in making a decision.

Deputy District Attorney Jason Anderson said the purpose of an extradition hearing is to determine whether a state's hold on a person is valid -- and he said Colorado's is, because Welty has an active criminal case there and has failed to appear.

Anderson said Diamond's double-jeopardy argument is "very premature," and should be considered by a Colorado court after Welty's extradition.

Welty was arrested in June 2008 after he traveled to Fremont County allegedly expecting to meet a 29-year-old woman who said she was willing to involve her 9-year-old daughter in sex.

The woman was actually an undercover police detective who posed as the fictitious mother in a Yahoo.com chat room as part of a police sting.

When San Bernardino County sheriff's detectives were notified of Welty's Colorado arrest, they served search warrants on his Rancho Cucamonga apartment, Tropical Lei and other locations.

Detectives found $60,000 in steroids in Welty's apartment they allege he was selling, as well as three child pornography images on his computers.

Welty pleaded guilty in West Valley Superior Court in February to three felony charges related to the steroids, illegal images and sex solicitation.

He was sentenced to 270 days in jail and five years' probation, and will be required to register as a sex offender for life.

On Wednesday, a West Valley Superior Court judge ruled that Welty, having completed 100 days in jail, is now eligible to complete the balance of his sentence on weekends or through home confinement.

Welty was released from custody at 12:03 a.m. Thursday after posting a $50,000 bail bond for his extradition case, according to online sheriff's department records.

Welty's father, Waldon Randall Welty, is the owner of Manta Management, the parent company of Tropical Lei, the Flesh Club in San Bernardino, and the Hawaii Theatre in the City of Industry.

In prior news accounts of the Flesh Club, Ward Ryan Welty was identified alternately as the owner or manager of the club.

Diamond has said Welty has no current role in has father's club.

For more information on Welty's case, read the initial story on his arrest, as well as an archive of stories on the case.

Julie Marshall, the Colorado judge overseeing Ward Ryan Welty's criminal case in Fremont County, said the circumstances surrounding Welty's failure to appear Tuesday look "a little bit like gamesmanship," according to a report in the Cañon City Daily Record.

From the report:

"By his own action, he does not appear in court," Marshall said Tuesday at what would have been the beginning of Welty's trial. "Frankly, it looks a little bit like gamesmanship. He was certainly aware that the trial date was today."

Welty, the former manager of Tropical Lei in Upland and two other strip clubs, was sentenced to 270 days in custody and subsequently jailed Monday in West Valley Superior Court.

He pleaded guilty locally to three felonies: soliciting a child for sex, possession of steroids for sale, and possession of child pornography. In Colorado, he faces five felonies and could be sentenced to life in prison.

Welty was arrested in June 2008 after he traveled to Colorado to allegedly meet a woman willing to involve her 9-year-old daughter in sex. The woman Welty communicated with was an undercover police detective.

A Colorado judge issued a $1 million arrest warrant Tuesday morning after former strip-club manager Ward Ryan Welty failed to appear for his trial date.

Welty, whose father owns Tropical Lei in Upland and two other local strip clubs, was set to stand trial in Fremont County, Colo. on five felony charges for allegedly soliciting sex with a 9-year-old girl.

The Rancho Cucamonga resident failed to appear because he is currently jailed in San Bernardino County, where he pleaded guilty last month to three felonies -- one related to his Colorado case.

He was sentenced to 270 days in jail Monday in West Valley Superior Court, and was taken into custody immediately following the hearing.

Welty, 36, was arrested in Colorado in June 2008 when he traveled to the state to allegedly meet a woman -- actually an undercover police detective -- who said she was willing to involve her young daughter in sex.

Ed. note: This picture is Welty's mugshot from Colorado.

Kathy Eberling, assistant district attorney for 11th Judicial District in Colorado, said that when Welty didn't appear Tuesday, assembled prospective jurors were sent home.

"The court forfeited Mr. Welty's $50,000 cash bond and issued a warrant in the amount of $1 million," Eberling said.

A new trial date was set for June 22, with a status conference set for June 12, Eberling said.

"Our office is preparing the request for a governor's warrant in order to transport Mr. Welty back to Colorado for trial on June 22," Eberling said.

Welty's attorney, Roger Diamond, maintains his client shouldn't face prosecution in Colorado because Welty has already been convicted in California, and a second prosecution violates Colorado's double-jeopardy laws.

Diamond's motion to dismiss the charges on double-jeopardy grounds was dismissed by the trial court in Colorado last week. Diamond has appealed the ruling to the Colorado Supreme Court.

The original version of this post incorrectly reported Welty's age as 38.

Kathy Eberling, assistant district attorney for 11th Judicial District in Colorado, said in an e-mail this morning that a judge issued a $1 million warrant this morning for Ward Ryan Welty's arrest.

Welty, the former manager of Tropical Lei strip club in Upland, was jailed Monday following sentencing in West Valley Superior Court. That's why he failed to appear as scheduled this morning in Colorado.

Ed. note: This picture is Welty's mugshot in Colorado following his June 2008 arrest on suspicion of soliciting a child for sex.

Here's the e-mail from Eberling, the Colorado prosecutor:

"Today Mr. Welty failed to appear in Canon City for trial. The jury was sent home. The Court forfeited Mr. Welty's $50,000 cash bond and issued a warrant in the amount of $1,000,000 cash only. The Court also set trial for the week of June 22 (and a status conference for June 12.)

"Our office is preparing the request for a Governor's Warrant in order to transport Mr. Welty back to Colorado for trial on June 22."

The former manager of an area strip-club chain was taken into police custody this morning after being sentenced in West Valley Superior Court to 270 days in jail.

As a result, Ward Ryan Welty -- whose father owns Tropical Lei in Upland and two other strip clubs -- will not stand trial in Colorado Tuesday as scheduled for allegedly soliciting sex over the Internet with a 9-year-old girl.

Welty, of Rancho Cucamonga, was arrested in rural Fremont County, Colo. in June 2008 after he traveled there to allegedly meet a woman he believed was willing to involve her young daughter in sex.

The woman Welty met online was actually an undercover Colorado police detective, and Welty, 36, was arrested when he arrived at a predetermined meeting place.

Following his arrest in Colorado, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies conducted their own investigation of Welty, and prosecutors charged him with three felonies: soliciting sex with a minor, possession of steroids for sale, and possession of child pornography.

Welty pleaded guilty to all three charges last month.

His attorney, Roger Diamond, said Welty is innocent of the charges, but pleaded guilty to avoid prosecution in Colorado, where he has been charged with five felonies and potentially faces a life sentence.

Diamond argued unsuccessfully before a Fremont County judge last week that the Colorado charges should be dismissed on double-jeopardy grounds because of Welty's local conviction.

Diamond has appealed the judge's ruling to the Colorado Supreme Court.

Welty was originally scheduled to be sentenced locally on Friday, but would likely have missed the sentencing date because its timing conflicted with the Colorado trial, which was set to start this morning.

Because of that conflict -- and because he wanted to leave no doubt that his client had been convicted in California -- Diamond said he arranged last Friday to move up Welty's sentencing date.

"The Colorado judge in effect forced our hand," Diamond said in an interview this afternoon.

Following the first 100 days of Welty's jail sentence, he will be eligible to petition the court to complete the rest of the time on weekends, Diamond said.

Welty was also sentenced today to five years' probation, and will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, Diamond said.

Thom LeDoux, district attorney for the 11th Judicial District in Colorado, said his office intends to prosecute Welty's case after Welty is released from jail in California.

To prevent a Colorado prosecution, Diamond said he is "about to launch a fight the nature of which no one has ever witnessed."

In addition to seeking dismissal of Welty's charges on double-jeopardy grounds, Diamond said he is going to "go into detail about what this judge is doing in Colorado -- it's a scandal."

Diamond alleges the Fremont County judge handling Welty's case, Julie Marshall, hands down disproportionately lengthy prison sentences and is biased against defendants.

Diamond said Marshall rejected his assertion last week that Welty, by pleading guilty in California, had been convicted. Her ruling shows "no respect at all for the California courts," Diamond said.

After Welty was sentenced this morning in Rancho Cucamonga, Diamond said he called Marshall's courtroom to notify the court that Welty would be unable to appear for Tuesday's trial.

Diamond said the court's clerk put him on speakerphone in the courtroom, and Marshall told him she intended to revoke Welty's bail Tuesday and issue a warrant for his arrest.

There was an implication, according to Diamond, that Marshall felt Diamond orchestrated Welty's local plea to avoid prosecution in Colorado.

"It wasn't orchestration," Diamond said. "Ryan is relying on his rights. He can't be forced to give up a right he has to be speedily sentenced."

Click here to read past stories on Welty's case.

The original version of this post incorrectly reported Welty's age as 38.

When contacted Thursday for a phone interview about Ward Ryan Welty's criminal case, Welty's attorney, Roger Diamond, spoke at length -- with little to no interruption -- about what he termed "the scandal that's occurring in Fremont County (Colo.)."

"The county court in Fremont County has an economic incentive to impose very drastic, extremely high sentences to make sure the prisons that are located in that county have plenty of inmates, so whereas a court should only consider for sentencing purposes the circumstances of the offense and the background of the person, the court in Fremont County is improperly attempting to keep the prison stocked with prisoners for as long as possible, because the economy of the county depends on the prisons.

"The county has living there families dependent upon the prisons. You have the guards and their spouses and children and so forth living in that county and dependent upon inmates, so the court has an incentive to provide inmates. So in Mr. Welty's situation, he's facing life imprisonment in Colorado, which is totally disproportionate to any alleged wrongdoing that he may have engaged in, and he engaged in no wrongdoing.

"He is innocent of the charges, but faced with a life sentence, he pleaded in California on February 20th for the sole purpose of trying to get the Colorado charges dismissed. This is a nightmare that nobody should have to be involved with.

"In addition to the prisons giving the county courts the incentive to sentence as severely as possible, the judge in the case, Julie Marshall, has had an extremely close relationship with the prosecutor for 20 years. Ms. Eberling basically is the DA who prosecutes in Judge Marshall's court. We have a small, two-judge county, an hour south of Colorado Springs, and for this one Asst. DA Eberling to operate in the same courtroom before the same judge for approximately 20 years is not good for the system of justice. For various reasons, prosecutors should rotate out and go to different courts. It's just, they're too close, it's almost like incest.

"And during the hearing on the motion, on March 9th, the judge was trying to help the prosecutor and made arguments that even the prosecutor had not advanced. For example, the judge, Julie Marshall, asserted that our double jeopardy argument was not valid because Ryan has not yet been convicted in Rancho Cucamonga, because he only pleaded guilty to count three of the charge in Rancho Cucamonga but he's not been sentenced yet.

"But the judge in Rancho Cucamonga, Judge Harrison, specifically ruled on the record that Ryan's guilty plea meant that he was convicted under California law. Judge Marshall, contrary to Judge Harrison, disregarded California law and disagreed with Judge Harrison and contended that since Ryan would not be sentenced until March 20th, a week from tomorrow, that he's not yet convicted.

"I pointed out that she was violating the full faith and credit clause of the U.S. Constitution that requires each state to honor the rulings of the judicial branch of other states. So in this particular case, Judge Marshall, in violation of the U.S. Constitution, basically rejected the ruling of Judge Harrison in order to deny the motion to dismiss.

"That should not be allowed, and that's one of our arguments before the Colorado Supreme Court. I also pointed out to Judge Marshall that after she denied our motion to dismiss she should give me time, and the Colorado Supreme Court time, to address the double jeopardy issue prior to trial.

"Ordinarily a trial court judge, after making a ruling adverse to one side, will allow that side to seek appellate review, and will not try to sabotage that pre-trial appellate review. So after I had the motion to dismiss denied because Marshall disagreed with Judge Harrison as to the meaning of California law - something Judge Marshall had no authority to do - she refused to postpone the trial to allow orderly appellate review in the Colorado Supreme Court.

"Based upon the way the court has conducted this case, I anticipated that possibly could occur, and already had prepared the petition to be filed with the Colorado Supreme Court. The court session before Judge Marshall was not over until 5 p.m. on Monday, March 9th, but on early Tuesday morning, March 10th, in Denver, which is a couple of hours away from Cañon City, I filed the petition with the Colorado Supreme Court and I also asked the Colorado Supreme Court to stay the trial until it has an opportunity to rule on the merits of our petition.

"And the bind we are in is we also need for the Colorado Supreme Court a transcript of what happened in court on Monday, March 9th. The clerk's office closed at 4:30 on Monday, March 9, so while we were filing the petition in Denver before the supreme court, we were ordering the transcript from the trial court in Fremont County. And that's taking just a few days to get.

"And this creates a problem because we want the Colorado Supreme Court to have a full record of what happened before Judge Marshall on Monday, March 9th. And so by not delaying the trial, Judge Marshall has made it more difficult to get an appellate ruling on the issue that we presented to her.

"In my experience, and I've been practicing law for over 41 years, even if a trial judge should disagree with the defense, or with any party, they should at least have the decency to allow pre-trial appellate review without forcing the party to have to scramble and drive fast to Denver. ...

"I also reminded her that Ryan has to be back in Rancho Cucamonga Friday, March 20th for sentencing. Yet if she did not postpone the trial, Ryan would have the problem of having to be in two places at once.

"So Judge Marshall is making it as difficult as possible to get a ruling, and if we can't get the ruling, we have to go to trial. And therefore what Judge Marshall has done is also made it impossible to handle the case in a normal way.

"I have asked the FBI in Denver to investigate the Fremont County court because of the extreme sentences imposed upon defendants when compared with the other counties in the state of Colorado.

"What piqued my interest in this whole subject of local courts giving disproportionately high sentences was the circumstance regarding two juvenile judges in Pennsylvania, who were sending juveniles to juvenile detention facilities in Pennsylvania in exchange for kickbacks from those private facilities. The two juvenile court judges in Pennsylvania who did this were just convicted within the last two or three weeks of federal fraud and obstruction of justice. ...

Ed. note: Click here to read a New York Times report on the Pennsylvania judges.

"This is the situation. So Ryan was basically forced into a maneuver that was designed to block the Colorado prosecution. He would have much preferred to fight the case in California, but by pleading - even though he has a defense to the charge - by pleading guilty in California he hoped to use the double jeopardy provision of Colorado law to avoid a life sentence in Colorado for an alleged crime that he actually did not commit.

"But when the risk is life imprisonment, for strategic reasons a person facing this particular situation might very well do what Ryan did, which was to plead in California to try to benefit from the Colorado double jeopardy law.

"And Eberling, on Monday, her main argument, which the judge did not accept ... Eberling's argument was to attack me for being so clever in setting up this motion to dismiss. She basically claimed that I orchestrated the entire proceeding, because the California sentencing provisions are so much lighter than Colorado's. So that was her main argument, just attacking me for being clever."

The former manager of a local strip-club chain is set to stand trial in Colorado on Tuesday for allegedly traveling to meet a police detective posing as a mother willing to involve her 9-year-old daughter in sex.

Ward Ryan Welty, 36, whose family owns Tropical Lei in Upland and two other strip clubs, communicated online and by phone with the undercover detective for nearly a year before his June arrest in rural Fremont County, Colo.

Read past stories here and here.

According to Welty's defense attorney, the criminal charges in Colorado should be dismissed because the prosecution violates Colorado's double-jeopardy laws.

Welty pleaded guilty in West Valley Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga last month to three felony charges filed in the wake of a local investigation launched after Welty's arrest in Colorado.

Welty, of Rancho Cucamonga, maintains he is innocent of the local charges, said Roger Diamond, Welty's attorney, but entered the plea to avoid prosecution in Colorado, where he has been charged with five felonies and faces a potential life prison sentence.

"He would have much preferred to fight the case in California, but by pleading -- even though he has a defense to the charge -- by pleading guilty in California he hoped to use the double-jeopardy provision of Colorado law to avoid a life sentence in Colorado for an alleged crime that he actually did not commit," Diamond said.

Diamond's motion to dismiss the charges against Welty on double-jeopardy grounds was denied by a Fremont County judge on Monday.

Read Diamond's motion to dismiss: 030909WeltyMotionToDismiss.pdf

Diamond has appealed the ruling to the Colorado Supreme Court, and said the court could grant the dismissal or issue a stay postponing Welty's Colorado trial date until it rules on the double-jeopardy issue.

At the close of business Friday, the Colorado Supreme Court hadn't issued a stay or ruled on Diamond's appeal, according to the court clerk's office.

Welty's father, Waldon Randall Welty, is the owner of Manta Management, the parent company of Tropical Lei, the Flesh Club in San Bernardino, and the Hawaii Theatre in the City of Industry.

Ryan Welty has been identified in past news reports as the owner or manager of Tropical Lei and the Flesh Club. Diamond has said those descriptions are inaccurate.

Welty has no current role in his father's company, he and Diamond have said.

If Welty's case goes to trial in Colorado as scheduled on Tuesday, the proceedings could conflict with his Friday sentencing date in Rancho Cucamonga.

Welty faces up to five years, four months in prison when he is sentenced locally, though he is also eligible for probation, Diamond said.

If Welty's trial in Colorado continues through Friday, he will miss his sentencing date in Rancho Cucamonga, Diamond said.

Welty may never face sentencing in California if he is convicted by a Colorado jury and jailed pending sentencing there.

Diamond -- as well as prosecutors locally and in Colorado -- say they don't know how the issue of the dual prosecutions will be resolved.

Welty began communicating with the undercover police detective in August 2007 in a Yahoo.com "fetish" chat room, according to a Cañon City, Colo. police report.

The detective was posing as a 29-year-old woman willing to involve her 9-year-old daughter in sex -- Welty told the woman he had been searching for such an arrangement for more than three years, the report said.

Welty traveled to Colorado in June to visit the woman, and was arrested by Cañon City police when he arrived at a prearranged meeting place in Penrose, Colo., a rural city about 100 miles south of Denver, the report said.

After Welty's arrest, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies served search warrants at his Rancho Cucamonga apartment, Tropical Lei and other locations.

Deputies found about $60,000 in steroids they allege Welty was selling, as well as three child-pornography images on Welty's computers, according to police testimony at a January preliminary hearing.

Welty pleaded guilty in West Valley Superior Court last month to three felonies related to steroids, child pornography, and contacting a minor for a lewd act.

The original version of this post incorrectly reported Welty's age as 38.

The former manager of local strip clubs has pleaded guilty to felony charges of contacting a minor for a lewd act, possession of steroids for sale, and possession of child pornography.

But an attorney for Ward "Ryan" Welty -- formerly associated with Tropical Lei in Upland and the Flesh Club in San Bernardino -- maintains Welty is innocent of the charges despite his Friday guilty pleas in West Valley Superior Court.

"He's not guilty of the charges in California," said Roger Diamond, Welty's attorney.

When asked why Welty pleaded guilty, Diamond responded: "That requires a legal analysis and strategic explanation that I'm not going to give to you."

Reached by phone Tuesday and asked about his reasons for pleading guilty, Welty said, "None of your business. Good day." He then disconnected the call.

Welty, a 36-year-old Rancho Cucamonga resident, was arrested in Colorado in June after traveling there to allegedly meet a woman who was interested in involving her 9-year-old daughter in sex.

The woman Welty communicated with online and through phone conversations was an undercover police detective from rural Cañon City, Colo., located about 100 miles south of Denver.

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies served search warrants on Welty's Rancho Cucamonga apartment, Tropical Lei and other locations after learning of his arrest in Colorado.

In Welty's apartment, deputies found more than $60,000 in steroids they allege he was selling.

They also found three child-pornography images when they searched three seized computers.

It appears Welty's plea may be part of a legal strategy to avoid prosecution in Colorado, where he is charged with five felonies and potentially faces a life prison sentence.

Welty is due back in court March 6 in Cañon City, where Diamond said he will move to dismiss the Colorado case "on the grounds that (Welty) has been convicted in California for the same crime that he is accused of committing in Colorado."

The prosecutor in Welty's Colorado case did not immediately return a call seeking comment Tuesday afternoon.

Welty is scheduled to be sentenced for his recent convictions in San Bernardino County on March 20. He faces a prison term of up to five years and four months.

Welty's father, Waldon Randall Welty, is the owner of Manta Management, the parent company of the Flesh Club, Tropical Lei, and the Hawaii Theatre in the City of Industry.

The Flesh Club was closed by court order in 2007 after more than a decade of battling attorneys for the city of San Bernardino, who claimed the club was a house of prostitution.

In news reports of the club's battles with the city, Ryan Welty was identified alternately as the owner or the manager of the club.

On Tuesday, Diamond said Welty had no role in Manta Management and said prior descriptions of Welty's role in the company were inaccurate.

Diamond declined to say what role if any Welty has had in the company.