Police set up an undercover sting where they contacted the suspected prostitutes through the website Craigslist.com and arranged to meet them at a hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. When the two women arrived at the hotel and asked for $300 for their services, they were arrested on misdemeanor charges, according to an article on the local Atlanta newspaper’s website.
Craigslist is a website that allows people to advertise a variety of items and services for sale from homes and cars to lawyers and accountants. And prostitutes. The general Craigslist website has specific websites for particular areas and cities, including Jacksonville, Florida. While it is clear that escort services are advertised on Craigslist at times, I have not seen any articles or criminal cases indicating that the Jacksonville police are investigating and arresting people based on ads on Craigslist.
However, anyone advertising illegal services or the sale of illegal contraband, or responding to such an ad, should be aware that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office or other local police department may be monitoring the Craigslist website, and it may be a police officer on the other end of the transaction.
In Florida, any person who is involved in prostitution, whether as a provider or buyer, commits a second degree misdemeanor for a first offense. In Florida, the crime of prostitution is defined as the giving or receiving of the body for sexual activity for hire but excludes sexual activity between spouses.