OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Prosecutors are upset that a probation officer included information about the sexual history of the victim at the center of a child sex-trafficking case against a former Oklahoma lawmaker.
Former Sen. Ralph Shortey is awaiting sentencing in the federal case. The 36-year-old former Republican lawmaker resigned after being caught last year at a hotel in Moore with a 17-year-old boy.
The Oklahoman reports that prosecutors recently filed a sentencing memo taking issue with a confidential report prepared for the judge. They’re particularly displeased that a probation officer included information about the victim’s sexual history.
Prosecutors argue that Shortey “groomed” the victim for a year and normalized the idea of exchanging sex for drugs and money.
“The focus at sentencing should be on Mr. Shortey’s acts and his influence, not on the child victim’s purported willingness,” prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Timothy D. Degiusti.
Prosecutors noted in the memo that the teen reported having two sexual encounters with Shortey at the former lawmaker’s coffee shop before the hotel incident.
Shortey admitted in his November guilty plea that he offered to pay the teen for sexual favors. He also admitted knowing the victim was underage. The two first met in 2016, when Shortey responded to a “casual encounters” ad on Craigslist, according to police. The victim was 16 at that time.
Prosecutors said they plan to seek restitution for the victim, and that Shortey should pay the cost of any physical, psychiatric or psychological care for the boy.
Shortey faces at least 10 years in prison for the child sex-trafficking charge.
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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com
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