A jury has convicted a Rochester man of patronage of prostitution in a public place, court documents show.
Russell Dennis Farrell, 50, was found guilty of the gross misdemeanor on March 2. Sentencing has been set for April 11.
The charge stemmed from an incident in August 2014, when members of the Rochester Street Crimes Unit set up an undercover operation to target sex trafficking. An officer placed an ad in the escort section of a classified advertising website, offering sex for money.
The undercover officer received a call from a man who identified himself as "Dennis," the complaint says. He asked how much her donation was; "donation" is a commonly used term to discuss money exchanged for sexual acts.
The female officer told him it was $100 for 30 minutes, then arranged to meet the man — later identified as Farrell — at a Rochester hotel. When the undercover officer went into the bathroom, Farrell began to get undressed.
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He was arrested moments later, with $100 in his right front pocket and $40 in his shoe.
