| Should a Baseball Fanatic in Philadelphia be Prosecuted for Prostitution? |
| In a case that has been dubbed "sex for tix", a suburban Philadelphia woman, Susan Finkelstein, has been charged with Promoting Prostitution. Her crime? Allegedly offering sex in exchange for a pair of World Series tickets. According to her lawyer, Ms. Finkelstein was merely ". . . a nice lady overcome with Phillies fever." For her part, Ms. Finkelstein told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Wednesday, "I didn't do anything wrong, so I'm not embarrassed about my actions. I'm embarrassed about how I was arrested." She later added, "I was hoping to maybe meet someone, and talk, and bat my eyelashes and maybe get some tickets." Ms. Finkelstein said this only a day after meeting at a suburban bar with an undercover police officer responding to her ad on Craigslist. And to make matters even more interesting, the tickets were going to be a present to be used by her and her husband. At this point, it is unclear whether or not Ms. Finkelstein ever explicitly offered sex for tickets but she none-the-less faces a hearing in court on Decembe 3rd. The bigger question remains, should Susan Finkelstein really be prosecuted for prostitution? The answer is easy, absolutely not. If this were a date under normal circumstances, two people meeting in a bar, nobody would think twice. Prostition, as I previously have written, is defined as any lewd act between persons for money or other consideration. California Penal Code Section 647, et seq. As a criminal defense attorney is Southern California, I have successfully handled numerous cases involving prostition, pimping, and pandering. Never have I even heard of a case involving sex for tickets. To prosecute a case like this is ridiculous. While it technically might, and I say might, meet a strict definition of prostitution, what possibly can be gained? First of all, prosecuting cases costs money. Second, and most importantly, what public good can possibly come of it? None. There has to be some discretion in the law. One has to weigh both the letter and the spirit of the law. This week, in Philadelphia, that principle and common sense seem to be in short order. If you have questions about this topic or need the help of a top criminal defense lawyer, call the Law Offices of Richard M. Sudar at (310) 277-4112. You also can click here for immediate assistance. |
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Posted By Richard Sudar on October 28, 2009 08:38 pm | Permalink  |