Backpage.com's Michael Lacey to Face Third Trial on Prostitution Charges

Federal prosecutors continue pursuit of conviction after jury deadlocks on 84 charges in previous trial.

Federal prosecutors intend to retry Michael Lacey, the former editor of Phoenix New Times, on charges he enabled prostitution through the Backpage.com website. This would mark the government’s third attempt to convict Lacey.
Lacey and his longtime business partner James Larkin sold New Times in 2012, but retained control of Backpage. They faced more than 80 charges related to the case, some accusing him of facilitating acts of prostitution and others accusing him of money laundering.
In November, a jury deadlocked on 84 of the charges, including all of the prostitution-related crimes. The jury exonerated Lacey on one money laundering charge, but found him guilty of another.
Two other Backpage executives, Jed Brunst and Scott Spear, were found guilty of a involvement in a conspiracy to facilitate prostitution through the website. Spear also was found guilty of an additional 17 prostitution related charges stemming from specific ads that ran on Backpage.
Prosecutors also filed charges against James Larkin, the longtime business partner of Lacey. In July, days before the retrial, Larkin died by suicide.