The following table outlines Maryland’s prostitution and solicitation laws.
Code Sections Maryland Criminal Law Article, Sections 11-303: Human Trafficking, 11-304: Receiving the Earnings of a Prostitute, 11-305: Abducting a Child Under 16 for Prostitution, 11-306: House of Prostitution, and 3-603: Sale of a Minor
What’s Prohibited?
Maryland prohibits all of the following prostitution, solicitation, and pimping related crimes:
Human Trafficking – any of the following:
- Taking or placing a person into a place of prostitution
- Persuading a person to be taken to a place of prostitution
- Receiving something of value to procure people for a place of prostitution
- Engaging in a scheme to cause a person to believe if they don’t participate in sexually elicit performances he or she will be restrained or seriously physically harmed
- Destroying or confiscating passports or government identification of another for a prostitution related crime
- Parents or guardians consenting to the taking of their child for prostitution
- Taking or detaining with the use of force, threats, coercion, or fraud to compel the person to marry you or a third person or to perform a sexual act, contact, or intercourse
- Knowingly benefiting financially or by receiving anything of value for human trafficking results in the same penalties as if the person committed the acts
- Knowingly aiding or conspiring with one or more person to do human trafficking is subject to the same penalties as if the conspirator committed the acts
House of Prostitution – any of the following:
- Knowingly engaging in prostitution (performing sexual acts, sexual contact, or intercourse for hire)
- “Assignation” (making an appointment for prostitution or any act furthering the prostitution engagement)
- Operating a business or home for prostitution
- Allowing a building owned by a person to be used for prostitution
- Allowing a person into a building for prostitution purposes
Penalties
Penalties in Maryland are typically described in the statute describing the offense. The penalties for the crimes above include:
- House of Prostitution, prostitution, assignation (solicitation), or operating or renting to a brothel is a misdemeanor subject to up to 1 year in jail and a fine up to $500.
- Sale of a minor is a misdemeanor with a punishment maximum of 5 years imprisonment and a fine not exceeding $10,000 for each violation.
- Receiving the earnings of a prostitute is a misdemeanor that can receive up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.
- Abducting a child under 16 for prostitution can be punished by a maximum of 25 years in prison and a fine not more than $5,000.
- Most human trafficking charges are misdemeanors subject to up to 10 years in prison or a fine up to $5,000. However, for victims who are minors or for forcing, threatening, coercing individuals to marry or perform sexual acts, the charge is a felony with a maximum of 25 years in prison and a fine up to $15,000.