by Attorney Eric D. PuryearIn the State of Iowa, prostitution is prohibited by Iowa Code Section 725.1. Under that code section, a person who “offers for sale the person’s services as a partner in a sex act, or who purchases or offers to purchase such services, commits an aggravated misdemeanor.”
Aggravated misdemeanors (such as prostitution) in Iowa are punishable by up to 2 years in prison. It is also possible to receive a sentence of time in the county jail, or probation, or a fine of up to $6,250 if convicted of prostitution in Iowa.
Aside from the criminal consequences of a conviction for prostitution, there can be significant other effects. For example, a conviction for prostitution can cause problems in terms of employment, housing, etc. Indeed, Iowa Code Section 725.4 makes it a Serious Misdemeanor for a person to lease “any building, structure or part thereof, boat, trailer or other place offering shelter or seclusion, and who knows, or has reason to know, that the lessee or tenant is using such for the purposes of prostitution, and who does not, immediately upon acquiring such knowledge, terminate the tenancy or effectively put an end to such practice of prostitution in such place.” That risk of criminal liability can cause landlords to be reluctant to lease to a person with a prostitution conviction.
For all of those reasons, a charge of prostitution in Iowa is a serious matter. Handling such a prostitution charge the right way can be the difference between a favorable outcome or an unfavorable outcome, and for that reason any person with such a charge is well advised to seek an attorney at once.