A Florida man, accused of pimping out his wife in a multistate prostitution circuit, was sentenced Thursday to serve about a year in federal prison.
Michael John Quick appeared in U.S. District Court to be sentenced on one count of coercion or enticement to travel for prostitution.
Quick said he had made a series of poor choices in life. "I never looked at it as a good thing," Quick told U.S. District Judge Dee Benson, adding running a prostitution service was a constant source of stress.
"I take it, it was also a constant source of income," Benson countered.
Quick and his wife were busted in a prostitution sting set up by Salt Lake City vice. The couple advertised on the Internet as a traveling escort service on their own Web site that encouraged prospective clients to check out her "reviews" from past clients, including graphic descriptions of sexual activity.
Police reported that an undercover agent met Quick's wife in a hotel room and that she asked for a $350 "donation" as requested on her Web site.
Court documents state that the wife then asked the officer to take all his clothes off, and the officer complied. The woman then removed her clothes. Police reported the officer touched the woman on the hip for "two seconds" when other officers moved in for an arrest.
After the arrest, Quick told police that he and his wife traveled both Western and Eastern circuits, which included Salt Lake City, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and cities in Florida.
Quick also told police his wife "acted in pornographic movies" and had an estimated 200 clients in 2005 and in years past earned as much as $200,000.
The wife was originally charged in Salt Lake City Justice Court with a Class C misdemeanor count of prostitution, but that charge was later dismissed as part of a plea-in-abeyance agreement.
Quick's sentence comes after he pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain last May. In exchange for his plea, federal prosecutors agreed to recommend the lower end of the federal sentencing guidelines. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karin Fojtik said Quick was also getting credit for providing assistance to federal investigators in an unrelated investigation. The court was also advised of Quick's prior criminal history.
Benson said that with credit for good behavior, Quick could possibly serve as little as 11 months out of his 13-month sentence. Quick told the court that he wanted to turn his life around and expressed a desire to join the Marines. Benson said he didn't think that was "humanly possible."
Quick said he and his wife are separated but remain in contact. They are still married, but Quick said that was still "up in the air."
E-mail: gfattah@desnews.com