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.
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man → arrest → room
The suspect was identified as Amanda Crafts, 35, of Wildwood Crest, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections.
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suspect → identify → Corrections
She was a computer teacher at Middle Township Middle School, according to her LinkedIn.
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She → accord → LinkedIn
Her friend, Veda Engel, 23, of Cape May, was also charged in the Oct. 9 incident.
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friend → charge → incident
Engel has a history of prostitution-related charges, including one dating back to December, Breaking AC reported.
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AC → have → December
According to police, the victim met the women at a bar at a hotel resort in Atlantic City, the outlet said.
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outlet → accord → City
After exchanging numbers with Engel, he reportedly met the two women in their room.
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he → exchange → room
Once inside, the victim said the two women stripped him down and physically restrained him to the bed, the outlet reported.
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outlet → say → bed
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.
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AC → force → complaint
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.
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Engel → hold → 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.
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detective → say → reports
During her first appearance in court, Crafts told the judge that she was a teacher and has never been arrested before.
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she → tell → judge
"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.
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she → tell → 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.
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outlet → say → 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.
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employee → release → teacher
"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.
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those → protect → them
The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority," Superintendent Stephanie DeRose said.
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DeRose → remain → students
Separately, Engel works at SoFresh SoClean Commercial Cleaning in Ocean City, her attorney said, according to Breaking AC.
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attorney → work → AC
The incident was not Engel’s first prostitution-related encounter with law enforcement.
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incident → relate → 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.
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she → offer → Casino
She was reportedly released on a summons at the time.
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She → release → time
Engel and Crafts were both released Oct. 15 after being held for nearly a week, according to reports.
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Engel → release → reports
The state consented to their pretrial release, which requires them to check in with the court every other week.
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which → consent → court