§ 11-34.1-7. Pandering or permitting prostitution - Not allowed. (a) It shall be unlawful for any person, by any promise or threat, by abuse of person, or by any other device or scheme, to cause, induce, persuade, or encourage a person to become a prostitute or to come into this state or leave this state for the purpose of prostitution. It shall be unlawful for any person to receive or give, or agree to receive or give, any money or thing of value for procuring or attempting to procure any person to become a prostitute or to come into this state or leave this state for the purpose of prostitution.

(b) It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly permit, allow, transport, or offer or agree to receive any person into any place, structure, house, building, room, or business for the purpose of committing any commercial sexual activity, or knowingly permit any person to remain in the premises for those purposes, or to, in any way, aid or abet or participate in any of the acts or things enumerated in this chapter. Any person, knowing a person to be a prostitute, who shall live or derive support or maintenance, in whole or in part, from the earnings or proceeds of commercial sexual activity, from moneys loaned, advanced to, or charged against the prostitute by a landlord, manager, owner of a spa or business, or any other place where commercial sexual activity is practiced or allowed, or who shall share in the earnings, proceeds, or moneys shall be guilty of the crime of permitting prostitution.

(c) Every person who commits any of the offenses described in subsection (a) of this section, or who assists, abets, or aids another to commit any of those offenses, shall be guilty of pandering. For the first offense, that person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year and not more than five (5) years and a fine of not less than two thousand dollars ($2,000), nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000). For every subsequent offense, that person shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than three (3) years and not more than ten (10) years and a fine of not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000), nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

(d) Any proceeds derived directly from a violation of this section are subject to seizure and forfeiture and further proceedings shall be required for their forfeiture as is prescribed by law in chapter 21 of title 12.

History of Section. (P.L. 2009, ch. 185, § 3; P.L. 2009, ch. 186, § 3; P.L. 2014, ch. 70, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 75, § 1.)