Disgraced Ingham County Prosecutor Takes Plea Deal In Prostitution Case
LANSING (WWJ) - A former Lansing-area prosecutor has taken a plea in a case involving sex for pay.
Stuart Dunnings, III, pleaded guilty to misconduct in office and engaging the services of a prostitute.
Under the plea entered before Judge Michael J. Klaeren of the 12th District Court in Jackson on Tuesday, Dunnings could spend up to five years in jail and will have is law license suspended due to the plea.
The then Ingham County Prosecutor was arrested in March after an investigation that involved the FBI, Ingham County Sheriff's Department and Michigan Attorney General's office.
That's when he resigned his post.
Dunnings, 63, is accused of trading cash for sex; but Attorney General Bill Schuette said the most serious was the charge of enticement - prostitution/pandering — which has been dropped as part of this deal.
He paid one woman for sex as many as three or four times a week over five years, while another prostitute had sex with him more than 200 times, according to Schuette's office.
An affidavit said one woman emailed Dunnings, telling him she had been the victim of domestic violence and asking for help in a custody fight. He invited her to lunch, said he was aware she was struggling financially and proposed paying her for a sexual relationship. She told investigators she ultimately felt she had no choice but to accept. He was married at the time.
The charges against Dunnings grew out of a federal investigation into a Michigan-based human trafficking ring which took place in 2015.
AG Bill Schutte said his office intends to seek jail time.
"The system in Michigan is not rigged. We have one system of justice and the rules apply to all," said Schuette, in a statement.
"Today we are one step closer to accountability for the defendant, justice for victims, and a chance to restore the public trust tarnished by a public servant who only served himself."
Schuette said he supports a permanent suspension of Dunnings' ability to practice law in Michigan.
