Michigan Prosecutor Charged with Prostitution to Resign

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LANSING, MI – An elected Michigan county prosecutor who allegedly paid for sex with prostitutes hundreds of times — including with one financially struggling woman who reportedly wanted help with a child custody dispute — said Tuesday he will resign this summer as prosecutors pursue charges that could send him to prison for 20 years.

Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III, 63, faces multiple charges, the most serious of which is a 20-year felony count of prostitution and pandering involving the woman who told investigators she had been a victim of domestic violence and wanted Dunnings’ help in a custody fight, according to an affidavit filed by an Ingham County detective.

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• Michigan Prosecutor Allegedly Paid for Sex Hundreds of Times

Dunnings allegedly invited the woman to lunch, said he knew she was struggling financially and then offered to pay her for sex, according to the affidavit. The woman told investigators she felt she had no choice but to go along with the overture, The Associated Press reports.

The charges against Dunnings stem from a 2015 federal investigation into a Michigan-based human trafficking ring, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said earlier this month.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Ted Docks said at the time that Dunnings’ alleged involvement “did not reach the threshold for a federal violation,” but investigators “could not ignore” the information implicating an elected public official and shared it with Schuette’s office.

Dunnings also has been charged with 10 misdemeanor counts of engaging the services of a prostitute and four misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duties.

In a letter to the Ingham County officials on Tuesday, Dunnings said that his resignation will become effective on July 2. He will take a medical leave of absence until then. Dunning, a Democrat, said he won't seek re-election to the post he has held for almost 20 years.

According to Schuette, Dunnings allegedly paid one woman for sex three or four times a week over a period of five years. Another prostitute had sex with him more than 200 times, the attorney general said.

During that time, Dunnings was an outspoken advocate against prostitution and human trafficking, Schuette said.