Former Ingham County prosecutor Stuart Dunnings will spend a year in jail for misconduct in office and engaging the services of a prostitute.
He was sentenced today on the misdemeanor charges he pleaded guilty to back in August. Originally, Dunnings was charged with more than a dozen prostitution-related counts.
His arrest earlier this year stemmed from a federal investigation into human trafficking.
Prosecutors say Dunnings paid women for sex over several years.
At today’s sentencing, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Schneider told the judge Dunnings abused the public’s trust.
“When a person of such high caliber and public stature commits crimes, while at the same time deceiving the public by making self-serving misleading statements about those same crimes, the abuse of public trust is even more significant,” says Schneider.
Dunnings' attorney blamed his client’s actions on a sex addiction.
“The addiction itself overcomes everything else that he knew was right,” says Toussaint.
Toussaint says Dunnings has been receiving treatment for sex addiction.
In addition to jail time, Dunnings was sentenced to three years’ probation.
