Guilty plea to prostitution, forgery

A Columbia Falls woman accused of prostitution and forgery pleaded guilty to a reduced slate of charges in Flathead County District Court Thursday.

Sonya Pitkin, 22, said “I’m doing very good now (and) I’ve got a job” after admitting to accepting money in exchange for sexual intercourse with a 57-year-old Trego man.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor prostitution and two counts of felony forgery, according to the plea agreement signed Aug. 11.

Pitkin and a female accomplice stole blank checks from the man and cashed them in amounts of $1,500 in 2009, according to court documents.

Prosecutors have offered a three-year deferred sentence, meaning Pitkin would serve no additional jail time. The final decision belongs to a District Court judge presiding at a sentencing hearing Oct. 31. The county attorney’s office has also agreed to drop a third prostitution charge.

Deputy County Attorney Travis Ahner reminded Pitkin during Thursday’s hearing that the deal was contingent on Pitkin not breaking the terms of the agreement. Because another case settled under the deal involved the use of counterfeit currency, he said the case could have been tried at the federal level.

“They have a reputation of not dealing as kindly with individuals,” Ahner said.

According to court documents, Pitkin engaged in sexual intercourse in return for payment — about $400 each time — from Thomas Leone beginning in January 2009. Leone was charged with prostitution as well. In Montana, the criminal statute for prostitution includes both the person offering and the person receiving sex in exchange for compensation.

The two met each other on an adult website where people network to form relationships that are often sexual in nature, according to previous court proceedings.

She admitted to the crime during a 2009 interview with a Whitefish Police Department detective.

Pitkin’s initial charges carried the possibility of 20 years in prison.