Man Charged for `Nice Guy¿ Prostitution Ring

MINNEAPOLIS - A Minneapolis man is accused of running an operation that connected prostitutes with “Nice Guy” customers at Minneapolis hotels.

John St. Marie, 66, was charged with six felony counts of promoting prostitution.

According to the criminal complaint, St. Marie is accused of operating a website that advertised prostitution services. He set up appointments for prostitutes with men he called “nice guys” – those whom he claimed were safe and would pay well, the complaint says.

The Minneapolis Police Department began investigating St. Marie’s activities two years ago after receiving information from an informant who had patronized the prostitution services.

For $24 a month, the Johns give their employers name for a background check to verify they're not undercover cops. The prostitutes even provide references.

On June 8, 2009, Minneapolis police shut the site down, posting a message, saying police have the data base of more than 200 customers and encouraging the Johns to come forward and talk to police, before police come looking for them.

Because St. Marie is a former assistant Hennepin County attorney, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office referred the case to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office for review to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.