By Jacqueline Seibel
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
HARTLAND, Wisc. — A Hartland woman who advertised her services on the free Web site Craigslist had run-ins twice this month with police after she offered sex to undercover officers for money, authorities said.
Hartland police arrested Tonya M. Karimi, 31, on Aug. 13 on suspicion of prostitution. She bailed herself out of jail, and the case was referred to the Waukesha County district attorney.
City of Pewaukee police gave her a ticket Aug. 2 that accused her of operating an escort service without a license.
In both investigations, she offered sex for payment, authorities said.
Hartland police learned of Karimi’s advertisement from an Oconomowoc detective, Police Chief Robert Rosch said. The ad included a semi-nude photo of Karimi, her phone number and the village in which she lived, he said. The ad also said she charged more if she met the person somewhere other than her home.
The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department provided an undercover detective to pose as someone who wanted her services, Rosch said.
The sheriff’s detective set up an encounter for Aug. 13 and went to her Hartland home, where he agreed to pay $200 for sex. She was arrested on the spot, Rosch said.
Karimi told police she started her prostitution career in April to pay her mortgage, Rosch said. She had been through a divorce in 2006 and feared she would lose her home in the 1300 block of Highway 83.
She recently had remarried, but her husband didn’t know about her activities, Rosch said. A child was in the home at the time of Karimi’s arrest, he said.
She said she did not keep a list of her activities or customers but indicated she had done this type of activity a lot, Rosch said.
City of Pewaukee Sgt. Gene Wilbur said police also learned of Karimi on Craigslist. The city has an ordinance that prohibits operating an escort service without a license, he said.
An undercover officer set up a meeting with her at a Pewaukee hotel Aug. 2, Wilbur said. When she arrived, they discussed and agreed on a fee and what she would do in exchange for the money. The officer then asked her for her license. She said she doesn’t have one, and she was given the ticket.
Karimi is scheduled to be in municipal court Sept. 19, he said.
Copyright 2007 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel