A Penacook man who routinely spent more than $200 per visit soliciting sexual services at a local massage parlor walked away from court last week with paying a fine slightly higher than the cost of one of his typical transactions.
Brian Soule, 66, was a regular customer at Oriental Bodywork Spa on North State Street for roughly four and a half years, according to Concord District Court records.
Arrested in December, Soule was charged with a Class B misdemeanor for prostitution after Concord Police reported that he had received sexual acts in exchange for money.
Following a hearing on Monday, the case was closed. Soule was found guilty and released after paying a fine.
Court records show that at each visit Soule would hand over $70 in cash upfront before being led—sometimes by a woman holding his hand—into a massage room, where he undressed.
He told police that he initially tipped about $80 per visit, but later those gratuities had increased to as much as $140.
The case comes amid a broader state crackdown on illicit massage parlors.
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella has said that those who buy sex are also “funding human trafficking.”
“You are part of the problem—and we will hold you accountable,” Formella said in a statement.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed Senate Bill 267 into law last year that makes buying sex in New Hampshire a more serious misdemeanor with a $500 fine. It took effect on Jan. 1.
There has also been growing criticism that individuals who purchase sexual services at massage parlors operating as fronts for human and sex trafficking are rarely held fully accountable.
Advocates and critics alike have called for greater transparency, including the public release of client lists.
Police first identified Soule as a customer on July 30, when officers executed search warrants at the spa located directly across the street from the New Hampshire State Prison, and observed him leaving the business.
During a police interview that same day, Soule admitted he had been a frequent patron for years. He was arrested five months later.
Despite that admission, court records show he later entered a no-contest plea.