A Brooks County woman faces over half a dozen criminal charges including pimping a child under the age of 18. Terry Olliff, along with her boyfriend Michael Snipes, was arrested on prostitution-related charges that included enticing a child for indecent purposes and cruelty to children.
Brooks County Sheriff’s Department asked GBI authorities to assist with allegations of child abuse against the mother and her boyfriend. The GBI confirms that four children were involved and investigation into the case is still ongoing.
Prostitution Related Crimes
Pimping is one of a handful of prostitution related crimes under Georgia Law. Others include prostitution and pandering. Some of the charges are felonies and, in some situations, offenders must register as sex offenders.
- Prostitution is when someone is performing, offering, or agreeing to perform a sexual act for money or anything of value. The act does not necessarily have had to take place for the offense to occur.
- Pimping occurs when a person offers or agrees to arrange a meeting with another person for prostitution, obtains a prostitute for someone, directs or transports a person to a place for prostitution purposes, receives the cash or valuable object for the prostitute, or aids or commands someone to perform an act of prostitution.
- Pandering involves the act of soliciting a person to engage in prostitution on their behalf or gathering people for solicitation.
Penalties for Prostitution Related Crimes
While prostitution alone in Georgia is a misdemeanor, pandering, pimping, and having a place for prostitution are aggravated misdemeanors. In some special circumstances these charges can rise to felonies.
For example, people pandering by compulsion or coercing someone under duress to perform a prostitution act, will face felony charges. The punishment for such a crime comes with a jail sentence between one and 10 years. People convicted of pandering will also have their crimes, address, and photo published in the county where the offense occurred. If the convicted person receives probation, he or she must submit to sexually transmitted disease testing. The person must also agree to have the results released to their spouse if they have one.
Anyone found guilty of pimping a minor, or someone under age 18, will forfeit the proceeds of any act of prostitution by the minor to the government. Furthermore, if the crime involves a vehicle, the guilty person may have to forfeit the vehicle as well.
Underage Prostitution
If the accused involves a minor in pandering, keeping a place of prostitution, or pimping, the charges automatically become felonies. The penalty for a child between the ages of 16 and 18 is a minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison as well as a fine between $2,500 and $10,000. If the charge involves a child under the age of 16, the punishment is a minimum of 10 years and up to 30 years in prison with a fine up to $100,000. Additionally, these sentences increase if the offense occurs within 1,000 feet of a playground, school, place of worship, or children’s rec center.
Obtaining Legal Advice
If you have prostitution related charges, you should consult with an experienced criminal defense attorney. The attorneys at Lankford & Moore Law have experience handling criminal cases just like this and will represent you to the fullest extent of the law. Contact them today for a consultation.
