A Schuylkill County woman and a Berks County man pleaded guilty to lesser charges Tuesday, resolving a case that stemmed from an alleged sex-for-sunglasses prostitution arrangement.
Lysa Sunshine Fortune, 32, of Schuylkill Haven, and Brayan Kostyun, 33, of Reading, each pleaded guilty to summary disorderly conduct. In exchange for their pleas, prosecutors dropped the original misdemeanor prostitution charges, and both defendants agreed to pay the maximum fine of $300 plus court costs.
The original charges stemmed from a Feb. 17 disturbance at Fortune’s St. John Street apartment in Schuylkill Haven. According to borough police, what began as a response to a reported physical altercation uncovered an alleged transaction arranged on the website SkipTheGames.
Kostyun told investigators he agreed to give Fortune a pair of Oakley Meta sunglasses—valued at approximately $500—in exchange for sex.
Fortune denied making a sex-for-goods agreement, telling police the glasses were a birthday gift and that she only agreed to meet Kostyun to drink, eat, and watch a movie.
However, text messages obtained by police showed Kostyun explicitly offering the sunglasses to “trade you for a few hours.” Separate texts between Fortune and an unnamed male witness showed Fortune describing Kostyun as a “customer/friend, more so customer.”
The meetup unraveled when Kostyun allegedly became heavily intoxicated, loud, and “pushy,” according to Fortune’s statements to police. Fortune texted the male witness for help, stating that Kostyun was “trying to get me to do shots & I’m telling him no.” Text records showed the witness responding that Kostyun was “way too drunk” and that he would physically remove him if he did not leave.
When the witness arrived at the apartment and asked Kostyun to leave, the dispute escalated into a physical altercation between the two men. Police arrived shortly after 9 p.m. to find Kostyun and the witness actively arguing, with the witness out of breath and appearing to have been in a recent fight.
Following interviews with all parties and a review of the text messages, police seized the sunglasses. Both Fortune and Kostyun signed written statements and were initially charged with misdemeanor counts of promoting prostitution and patronizing prostitutes, respectively, before reaching Tuesday’s plea agreement.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Police in Schuylkill County File Prostitution Charges in Alleged Sex-for-Oakley Metas Hookup
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