Articles Posted in Prostitution and Solicitation

Stuart Dunnings III, the former prosecutor for Ingham County who served for nearly 20 years and began his career as prosecutor in 1997, has pleaded guilty to two charges after 13 of the charges involving patronage of prostitutes over a five year period were dropped in a plea deal.

Initially, Dunnings faced 10 counts of engaging in prostitution, four counts of willful neglect of duty, and a single count of pandering prostitution.  According to witness statements, Dunnings paid for YMCA memberships, rent, methadone treatments, and other things in exchange for sex.

While he was Ingham County prosecutor, Dunnings was allegedly soliciting sex with prostitutes while at the same time publicly attacking human trafficking.  Now, according to Michigan AG Bill Schuette, Dunnings has pleaded guilty to a single felony misconduct in office charge, and one misdemeanor count of soliciting a prostitute.
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On Wednesday July 24, Donald L. Perkins was arraigned on numerous charges in connection with a nationwide prostitution sting including kidnapping and human trafficking. While Perkins is being held without bond, authorities now believe that there may have been more girls working for him than first believed. Investigations are ongoing according to Michigan State Police Detective Sergeant Ed Price of the Southeast Michigan Crimes Against Children, an organization headed up by the FBI.

Perkins was one of four men arrested on July 21 for suspicion of kidnapping, operating a house used for prostitution, and pandering. Police investigated a home located on West Russell Avenue, and found a 20-year-old woman in the basement, along with two 17-year-old girls who were believed to have been sexually assaulted.

A campaign known as Operation Cross Country has been in force for a decade, and is conducted under the FBI’s Innocence Lost initiative. In their efforts to shut down a nationwide prostitution ring, authorities have arrested 150 pimps across the nation so far, 18 of them in the state of Michigan. Perkins was one of the 18 pimps in the state.

A news article at Mlive.com indicates that authorities believe Perkins invited teens to a party before taking them captive and forcing them to perform sex acts at various locations over a period of several days.

Perkins is being held without bond at the current time.

Michigan prostitution lawyers understand the seriousness of these types of crimes, and the harsh consequences individuals face if convicted of prostitution or solicitation.

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An Auburn Hills man, Jackie Robinson Harris, has been charged with several counts after allegedly recruiting an underage girl to work as a prostitute in Pontiac, according to reports at The Oakland Press. The girl, who is 16 years old, was reportedly enticed by Harris to help run a prostitution ring before he allegedly solicited her to work as a prostitute later.

Officials say this is the second incident within a one-week time period in which they have arrested an individual in Oakland County for human trafficking. Harris was arrested in Warren on Wednesday February 27. He was scheduled for arraignment on Thursday in the 50th District Court.

The investigation into the prostitution ring was conducted by Michigan’s Human Trafficking Unit. According to state Attorney General Bill Schuette, Michigan children are being lured by human traffickers into dangerous situations where they will be exploited sexually.

Harris has been charged with a single count of racketeering, one count of soliciting a minor for child sexually abusive activity, and two counts of prostitution. News reports indicate that all of the charges Harris faces are each punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Michigan prostitution and solicitation attorneys understand that facing criminal charges is stressful, and the criminal penalties for those convicted extremely harsh. These matters must be thoroughly investigated. No one wants to think about spending 20 years (or more) of their life behind bars. A sex crime conviction will leave you facing a ruined reputation and career; the stigma will follow you throughout your life.

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A local website is under investigation as a conduit for prostitution. SeekingArrangement.com is a website that is designed to bring men and women together. According to news reports, because men pay women cash for their time, the site has come under fire as really providing “high-tech hookers.”

The women on the site deny charges of prostitution. Many are young college students who use money earned on the dates to pay for room and board, tuition and books at colleges across the counts including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Oakland University and Wayne State University. Women interviewed on the site explain that money is exchanged for spending time together – not for a sexual relationship. If you have been charged with solicitation or prostitution, it is important to consult with a Michigan prostitution defense attorney immediately to begin preparing your defense.

Prostitution is generally defined as the exchanging of sex for money and is against the law in the State of Michigan. Michigan law, MCL 750.448 provides that soliciting prostitution is crime, and 750.449 provides that engaging services for purposes of prostitution is also considered a crime. Individuals convicted more than once of prostitution can face increased penalties. In addition, the performance of a sexual act, with a prostitute or otherwise, in public is considered gross indecency. Each offense carries with it the penalties of jail-time, mandatory testing for sexually transmitted diseases, the social stigma associated with the commission of these offenses, the potential to have any vehicle used in the commission of any of the above acts forfeited to the state as a nuisance, and registration as a sex offender under the Michigan Sex Offender Registration Act.

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