Charges: Super Bowl Worker Tried To Hire Teens For Sex
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 33-year-old man in town for the Super Bowl is accused of trying to hire what he believed were two teenage siblings for sex.
Justin Beard, of Branson, Missouri, is charged with two counts of felony prostitution, court documents filed in Hennepin County show. If convicted, each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.
According to a criminal complaint, Beard was in town to work Super Bowl Live festivities this week and responded to a Craigslist ad which police posted as part of a sting operation.
An undercover officer posed as a man selling his 15-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son for oral sex. Beard exchanged messages with the officer and offered his Super Bowl Live VIP tickets as payment, claiming they were each worth $100.
Beard agreed to meet Tuesday night at a Minnetonka apartment, the complaint states. He knocked the door, met police officers and quickly found himself in handcuffs.
His bail was set at $125,000.