Caplan & Tamburino Law Firm, P.A. was recently called upon by a client who was convicted of solicitation of a prostitute after a stipulated facts trial. The client appealed the decision because the evidence in this case was insufficient to convict him. Attorney Hillary Parsons filed the appeal and traveled to Duluth, Minnesota to present the Oral Argument. Upon review, the Minnesota Court of Appeals overturned the district court’s decision because the evidence failed to establish, beyond a reasonable doubt, the client’s intent to engage a prostitute for hire in a sexual activity, as required by the statute.
In this case, the client responded to a sexually suggestive advertisement on backpages.com which was part of a police sting operation to prosecute men engaged in hiring prostitutes. He met undercover investigators at a hotel room and told them he was interested in a body rub, and would “maybe see” about further contact. The Court of Appeals noted that evidence that the client was interested in hiring a person he found in a sexually suggestive ad www.backpages.com for a body rub was far too indefinite to establish that he intended to make an offer of sexual contact.
This is a huge win for our client and for our firm! Congratulations to Hillary for presenting a compelling case in defense of our client!
Accused of a crime? Contact a Minnesota criminal defense lawyer at Caplan & Tamburino Law Firm, P.A. today.