LANSING - A woman who ran an escort service in Lansing β but was acquitted of sex trafficking underage girls β will spend at least five years in prison. Amber Speed was convicted last month of running a criminal enterprise that prosecutors said involved online sex ads, some of which involved underage girls.
Speed originally faced nine charges, but jurors either could not reach a consensus or acquitted Speed on several of the charges; others were dropped by prosecutors because witnesses were unable to testify at the trial. O'Keefe said Speed, 41, has been taking classes for parenting, anger management and substance abuse. I want to thank the MSP Trooper for his diligence in this case. Michigan State Police Trooper Sam North testified at the trial that he identified Speed as a suspect during a separate prostitution investigation.
Officials had said North attended training on how to spot human trafficking shortly before his investigation began. Related: Woman who ran escort service in Lansing convicted on criminal enterprise charge. In a recorded interview with police that was played on video during the trial, Speed admitted running an escort service for several years in the Lansing area but denied the women who worked for her sold sex.
Former Lansing band teacher Jeffrey Howenstine testified at the trial that Speed blackmailed him after he paid one of the victims for sex in Howenstine, 60, of Haslett, said he did not know at the time that the victim was younger than A once-popular teacher who led the Otto Middle School band to national prominence, Howenstine was sentenced last week to six months in jail after pleading guilty to one count of attempting to hire an underage girl for prostitution.
Related: Former Lansing band teacher jailed for sex crime involving underage girl. Dunnings was charged by Schuette's office with 15 prostitution-related crimes and ultimately pleaded guilty to one count each of misconduct in office, a felony, and engaging in the services of a prostitute, a misdemeanor.
