No prison time for woman found guilty of pimping, El Paso County judge rules
Feb. 22—A woman who in December was found guilty of using her massage parlor as a prostitution front will not receive prison time, 4th Judicial District Judge Laura Findorff ruled on Wednesday.
Findorff sentenced Shirley Briar Rose King, 32, to four years of supervised probation and 100 hours of "useful public service" despite the prosecution's contention that she should serve time in prison or community confinement.
Investigators arrested King, also known as Akira Summers, on Sept. 22, 2021, in an undercover operation that was the culmination of a nearly yearlong investigation into suspected illegal activity at Sutra Healing Center in Security-Widefield, officials said.
The bust took place after an undercover officer, pretending to be a prospective client, had extensive conversations with King about her business, according to arrest documents.
Through these dialogues, the officer determined that King had several women in her employ, that they sometimes engaged in sex acts with clients, and that King kept a portion of their earnings. When the detective suggested that King was pimping the women, she told him she was a "life coach," according to the affidavit.
Several undercover officers met with King and four other women at a venue in northeast Colorado Springs. When the women said they would have sexual intercourse with the men for an agreed-upon price, detectives raided the venue and arrested King, police said.
In July 2022, King rejected a plea deal and pleaded not guilty to all charges, which included pimping and keeping a place of prostitution.
On Wednesday, the prosecution argued that King knew what she was doing was illegal and only showed remorse when she was caught.
"She was proud to be a pimp," a prosecuting attorney said.
The lawyer said that, in conversations with an undercover detective, King admitted to recruiting women with substance abuse issues and/or personality disorders.
El Paso County sheriff's Detective Trey White, who participated in the undercover operation, addressed the judge remotely, opining that King should do prison time despite a presentence investigation report that recommended probation.
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"Our investigation of Ms. King was not the beginning of her crimes," White said. "I believe she should be sentenced to prison (for a sentence) proportionate to the crime that she has engaged in."
White's tactics in securing King's arrest were subsequently called into question, but he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Two former employees testified on King's behalf, saying their former employer never took advantage of them.
"I don't believe that any of her actions have been done in malice," said one former employee. "I don't feel (victimized) by her."
Speaking on her own behalf, King asked the judge for leniency.
"If I could just be given a chance to do something with myself ... I would be very, very honored, and very grateful," she said.
Before rendering her decision, Findorff said she took into account the fact that King's former employees didn't feel she had taken advantage of them. However, the judge said, King was aware of the illegality of her actions.
"Ms. King, I believe, knew that what she was doing was illegal," Findorff said. "Whether she believes it should be legal or not, that is a completely separate determination."
Under the terms of her probation, King will be barred from any alcohol or drug use. While she is encouraged to find gainful employment, she will not be allowed to engage in any type of therapy that involves physical touching, Findorff said. King will also undergo a mental health evaluation.
"While I appreciate that you believe yourself to be a life coach or a healer, I think you need to understand the consequences of the actions that you engaged in," Findorff told King.
King declined a request for comment.
Gazette reporter Zachary Dupont contributed to this report.
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