LANSING, Mich. – An Ingham County prosecutor used the sexual services of women who were part of a human trafficking ring, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced Monday.
Stuart Dunnings III is charged with 10 counts of engaging the services of a prostitute, four counts of neglect of duty and the felony of enticing a woman to perform in commercial sex.
Schuette said the FBI was investigating the human trafficking ring and uncovered Dunnings' alleged participation. Schuette also said Dunnings' brother, Lansing attorney Steven Dunnings, also has been charged with two counts of engaging a prostitute.
Schuette called the case a betrayal to law enforcement.
"[He] has the reasonability to enforce the law, report crimes, fight crimes. He did just the opposite," Schuette said.
His office has set up a phone number for anyone to call if they believe they had inappropriate contact with Dunnings: 517-241-6556
"I have worked with Stuart Dunnings while I have served as Attorney General," said Schuette. "I am saddened that an elected official who holds a special trust from voters and is the chief prosecutor in our capital city would allegedly engage in conduct causing felony and misdemeanor charges to be filed."
Case background from Schuette's office:
"The charges against Stuart Dunnings grew out of a federal investigation into a Michigan-based human trafficking ring which took place in 2015. The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan filed federal charges in that case against human trafficking ring leader Tyrone Smith in July 2015. On November 25, 2015, Tyrone Smith pleaded guilty and now awaits sentencing on three counts of sex trafficking young girls and women, including one minor.
Following the federal investigation into Tyrone Smith, members of the Michigan Attorney General’s office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Ingham County Sheriff’s Office jointly conducted an additional investigation based on information provided by witnesses in the federal investigation of Smith, which led to Stuart Dunnings.
The state-local-federal investigation resulted in evidence that Stuart Dunnings, the Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney, allegedly paid for commercial sex (engaging in prostitution) hundreds of times in three counties (Ingham, Clinton and Ionia), with multiple women, between 2010 – 2015. Contact with these women allegedly took place via escort websites.
Furthermore, evidence showed that Dunnings also allegedly induced a woman to become a prostitute who had not previously been one, resulting in the charge of Pandering, a 20-year felony.
Finally, as a result of the entirety of the evidence, Schuette also charged Dunnings with multiple counts of Willful Neglect of Duty for failing to refrain from committing blatant violations of the law as the prosecutor of Ingham County."