A Michigan prosecutor has found himself on the wrong side of the law. After 20 years in office, Ingham County, MI prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III, is facing his own criminal charges, 15 of them — including one felony count — over allegations he has engaged prostitutes “hundreds of times” over the last five years.
The charges filed yesterday against Dunnings were the result of a year-long investigation, conducted in collaboration with local, state, and federal agencies, as the Lansing State Journal reports:
While [Ingham County Sheriff Gene] Wriggelsworth said there had been “chatter” over the years about Dunnings and prostitution, the charges against Dunnings grew out of a federal human trafficking investigation, in which the FBI gave local law enforcement information that led to the year-long investigation into Dunnings. The local investigation included interviews with the women and a review of phone and bank records, Wriggelsworth said.
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Though in court, Dunnings’s attorney, G. Michael Hocking, indicated the case against his client might be politically motivated, outrage has been expressed by fellow Democrats:
“I’ve known Stuart for a long time,” Ingham County Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth said at a news conference Monday. “We’ve done some campaigning together. This was a huge betrayal of his trust, his oath of office, his service to the people of this county.”
The most serious allegation against Dunnings is the felony charge of prostitution-pandering, which was for allegedly using his position to coerce a woman to sleep with him for money. According to court filings, the woman in question initially went to Dunnings in his official capacity, to seek assistance with a child custody case. From there Dunnings allegedly took advantage of his role, and coerced the women to have sex with him:
She said she was shocked at first and eventually agreed — feeling like she had no choice — and the two started an on-and-off “commercial sex relationship” that lasted more than a year, the affidavit said. Dunnings paid the woman $600 every two weeks during the times they met for sex, and he also provided her with gifts and paid some of her bills.
The woman told police she hoped Dunnings would help in her child custody case and feared he would cause problems if she refused, according to the affidavit. The two met for sex in her home — a Lansing trailer park — and two area hotels, the woman told police.
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Dunnings was released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond. He aces up to 20 years if convicted.
Schuette: Dunnings paid for sex ‘hundreds of times’ [Lansing State Journal]