NORTHAMPTON — The operation was straightforward — an online advertisement showcasing “partially clothed females”; the men contact them; they meet discreetly at a hotel. Once the men ask for sex and offer cash, the police move in and make the arrest.

The joint sting operation between the state attorney general’s office and the Northampton Police Department, which was carried out Thursday, yielded 10 arrests. The men were largely from various areas of western Massachusetts, although some came to Northampton — allegedly to buy sex — from as far away as Rutland, Vermont, and Wyantskill, New York, court documents show.

All of the men appeared individually before a judge Friday morning in Northampton District Court, where they all pleaded not guilty to sexual conduct for a fee. Two of the men, however, Paul J. Peckham, 33, of Amherst, and Todd S. Zabawa, 46, of Hadley, admitted to sufficient facts, paid a $500 fee and had their cases continued for six months.

The men who pleaded not guilty and are expected back in court June 6 are: Pablo A. Revelo, 42, of Florence; John Vurovecz, 58, of Blandford; Michael Joseph Morassi, 45, of Granby; John M. Rybacki, 30, of Lee; Skye Maisonette, 28, of Amherst; Alan N. Sabino, 57, of Rutland, Vermont; Everett M. Cuffee, 19, of Florence; and Kai Xin, 47, of Wyantskill, New York.

A Gazette reporter attempted to contact each defendant by telephone on Friday, though almost all of them declined to comment or could not be reached.

Kai Xin, however, said it was never his intention to pay someone for sex.

“I just wanted someone to talk to — a person who’s understanding,” Xin said. “I want to talk. I want someone who understands and listens to me.”

Citing frustrations in his personal life, Xin insisted he was only looking for companionship when he showed up at the undisclosed hotel room and allegedly handed over $100 to one of the undercover officials.

When he first arrived, Xin recalled the undercover officials began listing off various “fantasies,” to which Xin said he told them he preferred “normal sex.”

“I never asked for any of those services,” he said in the interview. “The officer offered to me.”

That’s when he provided one of the officials a $100 bill, according to a police report.

Meanwhile, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation, Northampton Police Detective Lt. Alan Borowski declined to elaborate on details related of the operation and deferred inquiries to the attorney general’s office. The Massachusetts attorney general’s office on Friday afternoon also declined further comment.

The operation comes on the heels of a separate investigation in which the state attorney general’s office announced in December the arrests of four individuals they say trafficked women between New York City and various locations in western Massachusetts including Florence and Hadley. The women, prosecutors say, provided sex acts for cash tips in area massage businesses.

Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.

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