A former treasurer with a GOP branch in Utah has pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a prostitute after being caught in a February sting.
The St. George News reported that 28-year-old Blake Floyd Cozzens, the former treasurer of the Iron County Republican Party, got 12 months probation and a $1,000 fine after he and seven other men were caught in the local sting.
Law enforcement placed fake ads on the now-defunct Backpage website known for its sex work advertisements. Cozzens responded and was subsequently arrested once he paid the confidential informant.
The former treasurer wasn't the only St. George Republican caught soliciting prostitutes this year. Around the same time as Cozzens was caught in the sting, State Rep. Jon Stanard (R) was also revealed to have hired an escort — and used taxpayer money to pay for the hotel rooms used in their trysts. Stanard resigned days before the allegations were made public.