JohnTV

The following is a summary of prostitution news from around the globe.

1. Pimp sentenced for trafficking two teenage girls: Dwayne Lawson, 29, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in federal prison as part of a plea agreement for his part in prostituting two teenage girls. According to court papers, Lawson met a 17-year old girl on MySpace and after promising to make her a “star” began prostituting her in various cities and states. The second victim was forced to prostitute in “various counties and states” throughout 2008.
2. Pimp charged with trafficking 12-year old: Derwin Smith, 42, of Glen Burnie, Md., has been charged with the human sex trafficking of a 12-year-old girl from Washington, D.C. in New Jersey and Maryland.  Smith is currently being held on $3 million bond. The victim had been reported missing by her parents on May 25. Authorities believe the victim was already working as a prostitute when she met Smith and after meeting him he allegedly held her against her will and prostituted her at various locations while keeping all the money. (link)
3. Murdered prostitute kept list of dangerous ‘Johns’: Teri-Lyn Williams, 41, was a known Canadian street prostitute when she was found murdered along the side of the road in Surrey, B.C. by a passerby on June 9. Authorities say that Williams kept a list of dangerous ‘Johns’ and others that might mean to do her harm. Reportedly Williams had told her boyfriend that if anything happened to her, police should take a close look at the people on that list. (Link 1 – Link 2)
4. 5 arrested prostitutes claim business is bad: Five women arrested for prostitution in Fort Walton Beach, FL., tell police that “business” in the area has been down recently. The five women, ranging in age from 33-47, were all arrested in the same motel after placing ads in the news paper, Craigslist and other websites. Undercover police agents responded to the ads and placed the women under arrest. Charges range from misdemeanor to felony based on prior arrest records. (Link)
5. Sentence handed down for Sex-for-World-Series tickets: Susan Finkelstein, 44, of Philadelphia became worldwide news when she was arrested for allegedly offering to perform sex for a couple of World-Series tickets last year. The initial charge of prostitution was dismissed and replaced with attempting prostitution. Her sentence was recently announced and it appears she will emerge fairly unscathed (minus her reputation). Finkelstein was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. Judge Albert Cepparulo urged Finkelstein to speak to groups of women about the dangers of the Internet. (previous story 1, previous story 2)
6. Columbus ‘John’ says prostitute set him up to be robbed: A 54-year-old ‘John’ in Columbus, GA., reported to local police that a street prostitute set him up to be robbed by two men. According to police, the ‘John’ took a prostitute to the Georgian Motel on June 7. Once in the room the ‘John’ went into the bathroom and the prostitute let two men into the motel room. The men reportedly told the ‘John’ they would hurt him if he did not turn over his money and ATM card. The ‘John’ was not injured. (Moral of this story ~ Go looking for a hooker and you may get screwed in ways you never planned on.)
7. ‘Crossbow Cannibal’ a criminology student: Stephen Griffiths, 40, A doctoral student researching murder appeared in court recently on charges of killing three prostitutes in northern England. When asked to give his name, Griffiths said, “the crossbow cannibal.” His three victims ranged in age from 31 to 43. 36-year-old Suzanne Blamires’ body parts were found dumped in a river. British tabloids had latched onto and sensationalized the murders. Griffiths is being held without bond. (Link)
8. Mother of two scores arrest number 207 in Tennessee: Rhonda Heisler, 42, and mother of two has become a regular in the Portland, Tenn. area jails with over 200 arrests on crimes ranging from prostitution to public drunkenness, DUI, weapons, and theft. Heisler, listed as a transient, was arrested for her 207th time last Thursday after citizens called the police when it appeared she was driving drunk with her two daughter, ages 8 and 11, in her vehicle. Court records show Heisler has 155 arrests for prostitution alone. Her arrest history fills up more than 130 printed pages. (Link)
9. Police recover three women forced into prostitution in Maryland: Gabriel Dreke-Hernandez, aka “Echo,” 23, of Hyattsville, Maryland has been arrested and charged with first and second degree assault, kidnapping, various sex trafficking offenses and false imprisonment. The arrest happened after police received a tip that three women, ages 16 to 23, were being forcefully prostituted from the Garden Inn Hotel in Laurel. One victim, 19, told police she had been kidnapped from a party she was attending in April. Police say all three women were threatened with physical violence if they did not prostitute themselves and then give the money to Hernandez. Police believe the 19-year-old victim reached out to a friend after hearing of a similar police recovery of a 12-year-old in Laurel on Monday.
10. Cops seize over $600K from prostitute: Kim Wroblewski, 54, of Connecticut is accused of being in the business of prostitution, and according to police records she was pretty good at it too. Police bgan their investigation after receiving tips from neighbors that there was an endless parade of male visitors coming and going from Wroblewski’s residence, none staying more than an hour. When police searched Wroblewski’s two apartments they discovered meticulous records recounting her 15-years of prostitution, $31,000 in cash and  seized bank accounts holding more than $650,000. Wroblewski apparently told neighbors she worked nights as a nurse. In reality police claim she ran a prostitution business daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wroblewski has been charged with prostitution, second-degree promoting prostitution, possession of narcotics and possession of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school.