Tamarac Man Charged With Prostituting Teen Online
Police say Tamarac resident Leighton Martin Curtis paid for advertisements promoting teen's sexual services
A Tamarac air conditioning serviceman is in awfully hot water with the FBI over Internet ads selling a teenaged girl's sexual services.
Authorities say 34-year-old Leighton Martin Curtis used his credit card to pay for advertisements promoting prostitution by a 17-year-old girl referred to as "K.P." in court filings to protect her identity.
Court papers obtained by the Sun-Sentinal also allege that another girl, referred to as "L.", has been prostituting herself for Curtis since meeting him in California two years ago, when she was just 13.
Curtis, who listed his mother's Tamarac address as his residence, faces a federal child trafficking charge for promoting the prostitution of a minor. He is set to appear in court on Monday.
Prosecutors offered text messages detailing prostitution activity as evidence, including several relaying a particular incident in which Curtis drove K.P. to an appointment with a client, for which she earned $300 that was handed over to Curtis.
The relationship between Curtis and the two girls was discovered shortly after the teens ran away from him in January while all three were at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Several days later, he spotted them in Oakland Park and gave chase; though L. was caught, K.P. entered a room at a nearby hotel to escape, at which point a guest inside called police.
Curtis, who is alleged to be a deadbeat dad of three, faces 10 years to life in prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
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