A man from Berlin has been arrested by police and charged with promoting prostitution.
Paul Perkins, an employee of a book store in Berlin, is alleged to have been providing prostitution services out of the store to customers. He was arrested early this week after police conducted a raid after a 6 month investigation on the premises when police discovered that various sex acts were allegedly being performed in the back of the store. There was also $27,000 found during the search. Since the book store is a quasi public place and does not require a membership fee that a club would, payment for sex acts is considered illegal. There are also no cameras set up nor a line of sight to the back of the store, both of which the law requires.
Promoting prostitution can be considered either a disorderly persons offense of a third degree crime depending on the circumstances. If charged and convicted as a disorderly persons offense, a person could receive 6 months in the county jail and a $1,000 fine. A third degree charge on the other hand can result in 3 to 5 years in New Jersey State Prison.
For more information on this case, access the nj.com article entitled “Prostitution at Berlin Township adult book store, police allege; employee charged.”
