Middle school teacher arrested in alleged prostitution scheme at casino hotel
A New Jersey teacher was arrested two weeks ago in connection with an alleged prostitution scheme in which a man was restrained, forced to endure sexual acts and robbed in a casino hotel room.
The suspect was identified as Amanda Crafts, 35, of Wildwood Crest, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections. She was a computer teacher at Middle Township Middle School, according to her LinkedIn.
Her friend, Veda Engel, 23, of Cape May, was also charged in the Oct. 9 incident. Engel has a history of prostitution-related charges, including one dating back to December, Breaking AC reported.
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According to police, the victim met the women at a bar at a hotel resort in Atlantic City, the outlet said.
After exchanging numbers with Engel, he reportedly met the two women in their room.
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Once inside, the victim said the two women stripped him down and physically restrained him to the bed, the outlet reported.
Engel then forced sexual acts on him before stopping and saying, "That’s what you get for $1,250," according to the complaint, Breaking AC reported.
As Crafts held the victim down, Engel reportedly used his facial recognition to unlock his phone and made four separate Apple Pay transactions totaling $1,250 to her account.
The victim said the transactions were "made without his consent in exchange for sexual acts," a detective wrote in the affidavits, according to reports.
During her first appearance in court, Crafts told the judge that she was a teacher and has never been arrested before.
"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," she told Judge Timothy Maguire during a video appearance from the Atlantic County Justice Facility, according to reports.
Crafts, who said she has four children, works in the school’s special area department teaching computers, the outlet said, citing the school’s website.
The school district released a statement on Oct. 19 acknowledging the arrest of a Middle Township teacher and confirming that the employee had been fired.
"Our responsibility is to protect our students, follow appropriate procedures, and ensure that those entrusted with caring for and educating our children meet the standards expected of them. The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority," Superintendent Stephanie DeRose said.
Separately, Engel works at SoFresh SoClean Commercial Cleaning in Ocean City, her attorney said, according to Breaking AC.
The incident was not Engel’s first prostitution-related encounter with law enforcement. Last year, she allegedly offered an undercover New Jersey State Police detective sex in exchange for $1,000 at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.
She was reportedly released on a summons at the time.
Engel and Crafts were both released Oct. 15 after being held for nearly a week, according to reports. The state consented to their pretrial release, which requires them to check in with the court every other week.