A former University student was arraigned Thursday for engaging in prostitution and using a computer to commit a crime.
Diane Brown, spokeswoman for the University’s Department of Public Safety, said the Ann Arbor Police Department received an anonymous tip in November about someone who was conducting prostitution. AAPD investigators staged a sting at an Ann Arbor hotel in which an investigator posed as a prospective client.
The 21-year-old Ann Arbor native was arrested on site, and prosecutors subsequently authorized two misdemeanor charges for prostitution/soliciting and using a computer to commit a crime.
Brown said the woman had advertised her services on several online sites, but her prostitution activity is a more serious crime.
“There are a lot of things that are out on the Internet that are illegal activities that are rarely dealt with,” Brown said. “Her illegal activity was the incident at the hotel. If a prosecutor reviews the case and sees that the computer was also a part of contributing to the crime, then they will add on that second charge of using a computer to commit a crime. “
Defense attorney Nicholas Roumel said the incident is not what people might envision as stereotypical prostitution.
“I think it’s a somewhat sympathetic situation,” he said. “I’m hoping there will be a reasonable outcome.”
According to Brown, the woman wasn’t registered for classes this semester or last semester but was enrolled at the University last winter.
University spokeswoman Kelly Cunningham said she couldn’t comment about why the woman dropped out of the University due to privacy reasons.
This is the second case in the last month where a student associated with the University has advertised sex acts online.
Brown said this incident was unrelated to last month’s sex case where a University professor solicited sexual acts from a law student who advertised on Craigslist to help pay tuition costs.
Yaron Eliav, associate professor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies, and the Law School student both pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of using a computer to commit a crime in December.