Former law dean allegedly offered to pay $100 for sex acts, arrest affidavit says
Booking photo of John Attanasio
A former law dean arrested on a charge of prostitution early Sunday had allegedly responded to an ad on Backpage.com placed by undercover agents, according to an arrest affidavit.
The warrant says the arrest of John Attanasio was part of ongoing effort to “combat the demand side of commercial sex trafficking,” WFAA-TV reports in a story published by USA Today. Attanasio is the former law dean of Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law and is the Judge William Hawley Atwell Chair of Constitutional Law at the school.
According to WFAA and Texas Lawyer (sub. req.), the arrest warrant alleges that Attanasio agreed to pay an undercover officer $100 in exchange for sex acts. He was among five men arrested in the sting operation at the Aloft Frisco hotel in the Dallas suburb. The hotel cooperated in the investigation.
The prostitution charge against Attanasio is a Class B misdemeanor. He was released on $500 bond.
SMU did not renew Attanasio’s contract as dean when it expired in May 2013. After news of his ouster, a majority of the law school’s faculty wrote a letter supporting Attanasio. Though he remains as a professor at the law school, an SMU spokeswoman said he would not be teaching this week.
“SMU will gather information and follow university procedure to determine any appropriate action under its policy in such matters,” the school said in a statement.
