6-month sentence imposed in Internet prostitution case

A Chesterfield County man who said he started an Internet prostitution service because he was depressed, lonely and desired female companionship was sentenced yesterday to six months in jail.

William H. Snyder, 51, of the 7300 block of Newbys Crossing Drive pleaded guilty in September to money laundering and receiving funds from the earnings of a prostitute in connection with his escort-service business, called Dream Dates for You.

Judge Frederick G. Rockwell III of Chesterfield Circuit Court sentenced Snyder to a total of 20 years in prison but suspended 19 years and six months.

Taking the witness stand, Snyder blamed his crimes on bipolar disorder, diabetes and severe depression resulting from back-to-back divorces that left him feeling like a failure as a man.

"It was a business, but I wasn't operating it as a business," Snyder told the court before sentencing. "It was more of a social function" to meet and keep the company of women.

But the judge didn't buy it.

"It doesn't follow that this was just a way for you to have friends," the judge said, noting that Snyder received up to 25 percent of each transaction and had many of the women perform personal sexual favors. "I don't see this as a product of bipolar, of depression."

Added the judge, "It sounds like a full-fledged business."

According to a summary of evidence, Snyder ran a Web site that offered such services as erotic massages, private dances and stripper sessions, overnight and weekend dates, and half-hour and one-hour "Girlfriend Experience" sessions. The latter services cost $175 and $235 respectively, according to the site, which displayed explicit photos of the women having sex with Snyder.

After being contacted by a client, Snyder would arrange for the customer to meet a woman -- one of up to five working for the service -- at one of several motels along the Jefferson Davis Highway corridor near Willis Road.

Snyder said he only collected 15 percent to 25 percent of each prostitute's earnings, and he used part of his proceeds to pay for the motel, transportation and other expenses. He said his business had been operating for about six months.

"This is not a pimp daddy" who took most of the women's' earnings and gave them crack cocaine in return, said defense attorney Joe Cravens. "He was not the kingpin of the prostitution world."

But Chesterfield prosecutor Reneen Hewlett countered that Snyder was indeed running a for-profit business, which he advertised on Craigslist, a free online classified-ad service that also includes erotic ads.

"He was a more sophisticated pimp daddy," Hewlett said. Although not operating on the street, "he was running an enterprise" that traded "flesh for money and companionship."
Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 6459-6450 or .