SYCAMORE, Illinois – from www.daily-chronicle.com – A local attorney charged with prostitution has taken to her law office’s website to tell clients that she knows the feeling.
“I am probably one of the few attorneys who knows what it feels like to be accused and in need of help,” attorney Reema Bajaj [pictured] wrote on the website of Bajaj Law Offices. “This action will only make me stronger and better able to understand what my clients are going through.”
Bajaj, 25, of the 100 block of Penny Lane in Sycamore, was arrested last Tuesday and charged with three counts of prostitution. Two of the counts are Class A misdemeanors, and a third count is a Class 4 felony – punishable by up to three years in prison – because it reportedly was carried out within 1,000 feet of a school.
A phone call made to Bajaj Law Offices seeking comment was not returned.
The website states that Bajaj defends clients from traffic offenses, DUIs and a variety of misdemeanor and felony criminal charges.
In the statement posted to the website, Bajaj acknowledges the charges, writing that she does not know why it was happening.
“I have many clients who walk through my doors telling me: ‘They did not do it,’” Bajaj wrote. “I am one of those who believe what my clients tell me, and I aggressively defend them in court. I will now be doing this for myself.”
In the statement, Bajaj uses her legal predicament as a draw to potential clients, writing that “if you are in need of an attorney who REALLY understands what you are going through, then contact me … and let me guide you through the legal process.”
Police said Bajaj participated in the alleged prostitution over the course of several years, and was engaging in it as recently as last month. The charges brought against her refer to two reported incidents – one Aug. 13 and the other May 10.
Neither man mentioned in the court documents charging Bajaj has been charged with a crime in connection with the alleged activity.
DeKalb Police Lt. Gary Spangler said it is not uncommon for authorities not to charge someone with a crime even when police might have probable cause to do so. He said decisions whether or not to charge someone can be logistical or tactical and occasionally are based on a person’s level of cooperation.
For instance, he said decisions are made in cooperation with the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office, which might prefer to have a witness in a case who is not also a defendant in that same case.
Spangler did not say what specifically went into the decision to not charge the men involved in the Bajaj case, but he said the decision was made in concert with the state’s attorney’s office.
“We discussed whether we should charge the men, and we made a decision not to,” Spangler said.
Bajaj turned herself in at the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday after the warrant was issued for her arrest. She was released after posting $500 to satisfy the $5,000 bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 28.